Everybody Loves Shuichi, The Sequel!
by Ferngully
Summary: Kurama is now in college and is reunited with his crazy friends from high school! All Kurama wants to do is lead a normal life, but with his strange new job, his bizarre friends, and a new evil brewing, will he ever be able to forget his demon past? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Hi, all! _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_ is back for some more crazy fun as Shuichi stars in _Everybody Loves Shuichi, The Sequel!: But What About Kurama?_

Shuichi's now in college, has a new job, and is reunited with all his bizarre high school friends! But Shuichi gets more than he bargains for when strange paranormal events begin happening, all seemingly connected to a new archaelogical find at Tokyo Museum, and Shuichi is forced to face his demon past head on! Fun things to happen include:

A Wedding!

A New Job for Kurama!

The Return of Seita the Demon Hunter!

The Mystery Behind Haruka Revealed!

Some More Crazy Costume Fun!

Kokoda's First Love!

The Return to Mieou Academy!

A Battle Between Kurama and Yusuke!

Kurama's Most Shocking Discovery!

And More!

Anyway, this story will be a bit more action/adventure oriented than the first one, but the characters will still remain true to their wacky selves! This story should also be shorter than the first one and should be about 13 chapters long (as opposed to the 25 chapters of the first one), but that might change when I begin writing more. As of now, I've got the first chapter done and I'm really excited about it! I just hope everyone else likes the sequel as much as the first story!

For those who are new to the _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_ universe, it's pretty much takes places after the end of the _Yu Yu Hakusho_ series and is about Kurama trying to lead an ordinary high school life as Shuichi Minamino. Unfortuntately, Shuichi is surrounded by a bunch of crazy high school students that make his life anything but normal. This story takes place after that, when Shuichi is in high school. If you want, you can read the first _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_ here on this site; just click on my penname and it will be listed amongst my other fanfics, entitled (obviously) _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_

Those who'd rather just read this story or for those who need a refresher on all the characters, here's a list of all the characters that you need to know (WARNING: There are SPOILTERS from the first _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_ story in this list for those who still may want to read it!):

**Shuichi Minamino** (also known as **Kurama**): Star of _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_ Committed to leading an ordinary life as Shuichi Minamino while keeping his demon past a secret, but always seems to get sucked into the crazy antics of his bizarre group of friends. At the end of _Everybody Loves Shuichi_, Shuichi's secret demon life is revealed to his stepbrother, his friends, and his homeroom teacher.

**Seita Hachirobei**: Self-proclaimed, deranged, and obsessive rival of Shuichi. On top of his class until Shuichi returns from a "two year study-abroad program" (i.e. the Makai Tournament), Seita is determined to sabotage and defeat Shuichi while proving what "a patronizing bastard" he really is. Although Shuichi often claims that in his thousand years of life, no one has hated him more than Seita, the two still are oddly friends in their own way.

**Namiko Tatsuya**: Devoted fan girl of Shuichi and Former President of the Shuichi Minamino Fan Club in Mieou Academy (had been removed from office due to accidentally scoring higher than Shuichi on their midterms). Although her rabid and blind obsession over Shuichi is significantly less prominent as the two actually became friends, she still tends to devote much of her time defending him, particularly when fighting with Seita.

**Maya Kitajima**: Scatterbrained sort-of girlfriend of Shuichi. Having discovered Shuichi's true identity back in junior high (see the manga), Shuichi erased her memory of him; however, the side-effects of this spell caused her to lose her short-term memory and become irreversibly spaced-out and clueless. Despite her inability to remember anything, Maya still can be baffling intuitive and possesses a strong spiritual sense. Also, some claim (mainly Yusuke) that she looks like Shuichi's mother while having the personality of his stepfather, but that's still up for debate…

**Tasaka Kitajima**: Bad-tempered and overprotective twin brother of Maya. Although Shuichi erased his sister's memories of him, he had not bothered to erase Tasaka's, causing problems when Tasaka realizes that Shuichi is lying about having never met Maya before. Throughout _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_, Tasaka harbors a resentment toward Shuichi and often tries to prove that he is not crazy and that Shuichi is a liar, with miserable results. Has a crush on the perverted Ritsuki Yamagashi, although he'll never admit to it. Was also the star track player at Mieou Academy.

**Ritsuki Yamagash**i: Flashy, lewd, and self-indulgent transfer student and nymphomaniac (i.e. a very perverted woman). Although very well-endowed and provocative, most of the male populous at Mieou Academy find her perverted antics with partner-in-crime Hiroshi Sunada overbearing and obnoxious. Has a fondness for photographing lewd pictures, namely of her male classmates' backsides, and dressing scandalously. Also, she has a special infatuation with Tasaka, whom she playfully claims is her fiancé at the end of _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_, and delights in tormenting and teasing him.

**Hiroshi Sunada**: Perverted partner and best friend of Ritsuki. More sly and less aggressive than Ritsuki, Hiroshi is more of an amused spectator who enjoys watching his friends' crazy antics, particularly Ritsuki's constant teasing of Tasaka, while making lewd, suggestive comments. Also has a talent for designing and making clothes and costumes, having, with Ritsuki's help, created the costumes for the play _Cinderella_ at the end of _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_

**Yuu Kaito**: Close friend and sort-of sidekick to Shuichi. Knowing of Shuichi's demon past from the anime series, Kaito often makes comments about Shuichi's secret in order to rattle Shuichi, and finds amusement in getting Shuichi unnerved or annoyed (he is also one of the few people able to read Shuichi well enough to actually accomplish this occasionally). Often sarcastic and apathetic, Kaito mostly tolerates his wacky group of friends. Has his own spiritual powers as well as is a fan of manga.

**Kyoji Hoshino**: Close friend and sort-of sidekick to Tasaka. Good-intentioned, but a bit oblivious, Kyoji tends to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, causing more problems than not. More level-headed and less emotional than his best friend Tasaka, Kyoji is usually stuck trying to calm down Tasaka when he gets angry (which is often) and stopping him before he does anything he might regret. Was also on the track team with Tasaka.

**Miss Chiyo Naga**i: Homeroom teacher of Shuichi's class, class 3-4. Gets pleasure out of the suffering of her class and views the majority of the students and faculty at Mieou Academy as useless and incompetent. Hates Mr. Fukuda and creates a rivalry between her class and his class, class 3-5. Viewed with both fear and respect by the students at Mieou Academy, Miss Nagai is rarely crossed. At the end of _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_, she has a newfound respect for Shuichi and his friends.

**Mr. Astumori Fukuda**: Lecherous Homeroom Teacher of class 3-5, the rival class of 3-4. Often makes lewd innuendos about the female students, but mainly is preoccupied with bedding Miss Nagai, much to Miss Nagai's utter disgust. His attraction toward Miss Nagai has sparked much discussion amongst Mieou Academy, who wonder whether he is exceptionally brave, incredibly stupid, highly masochistic, or partly suicidal. Does not believe Miss Nagai when she tells him of Shuichi's secret identity as the demon Kurama, and is one of the few characters unaware of Shuichi's demon past at the end of _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_

**Kokoda Hatanaka** (the name which is used in the dub of _Yu Yu Hakusho_): Younger stepbrother of Shuichi. Is suspicious of Shuichi and finds him "weird," after having vague memories of a "blue apparatus" protruding out of his head (i.e. the demon which had possessed Kokoda during the _Yu Yu Hakusho _series before the Makai Tournament). Throughout _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_, Kokoda is desperately trying to discover the truth about his mysterious older stepbrother, which he at last discovers at the end of the story.

**Jiro Hatanaka**: Good-intentioned, but slightly oblivious stepfather of Shuichi. Cares very much about his wife, Shiori, and his two sons, Shuichi and Kokoda, and often is concerned with keeping the family close. He is also the C.E.O of a multi-million dollar corporation, despite being seemingly naïve and bumbling half the time. He also shares many qualities with Maya, as they are both ditzy and clueless.

**Shiori Hatanaka**: Level-headed mother of Shuichi. Like her son Shuichi, she is often very calm and reasonable, specifically when taking care of her scatterbrained husband, Jiro. She and Shuichi care very much about each other, Shuichi putting her above all others. She also is said to share many physical attributes with Maya by some (namely Yusuke and Kuwabara), although Shuichi never notices this.

**Haruka**: A demon who comes during the final arc of _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_ in order to get revenge on Shuichi for stealing something "precious" of his when Shuichi was still Yoko Kurama, the King of Thieves in the demon world. Shuichi, with the help of his friends (sort of), is seemingly able to defeat Haruka at the end of _Everybody Loves Shuichi!_ However, many unanswered questions still remain…

And I think that's everyone! I hope I'm not forgetting anything or anyone...I could have probably mentioned Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Hiei, and Botan, who were all in the first story, but I figured everybody knows who they are, lol! As for cameos in this story, I know Yusuke is going to have a bigger role, but I don't know who else is going to show up just yet...I wanted to try and get Genkai and Koenma into the story, but as this story is going to be significantly shorter than the first one, it might be more difficult.

Anyway, sorry for that lengthy introduction! But here it is! The sequel I'm sure at least some of you have been waiting for, lol: _Everybody Loves Shuichi, The Sequel!: But What About Kurama? _I hope you all enjoy it! R&R!

_Everybody Loves Shuichi, the Sequel!: But What About Kurama?_

Chapter One: Shuichi's New Job! Kaito's the Boss?!

How did Shuichi Minamino find himself in such trying and unsettling situations? He had went a year living in relative peace and normalcy, working as an intern at his stepfather's company (although, his stepfather Jiro Hatanaka's ability to run a multi-million dollar corporation so efficiently when he seemed so scatterbrained all the time had been a baffling oddity to Shuichi). Yet now, the crazy antics of his high school youth seemed to be descending upon him at full force and all at once, ready to trample and crush him in one single, swift, and brutal swoop. The first of his high school memories was resurrected as soon as he entered the seemingly innocuous college classroom at the University of Tokyo, the first class of his first semester in the prestigious institution. Taking a year off for his internship, Shuichi worried that perhaps he would have difficulty readjusting to classroom life again, but he recalled it all rather quickly as his setting was eerily all too familiar.

There, sitting two rows behind him, was the vehement Seita Hachirobei staring directly at the back of Shuichi's head with a scathing, violent glare. In Seita's deranged eyes was all the vile disdain that he had been harvesting in the deepest pits of his soul for that last year, waiting for that ill-fated day in which the two bitter rivals would meet again and he could unleash his indignant fury upon Shuichi once more.

Unfortunately, the bitter rivalry that Seita had concocted during high school was only one-sided and one Shuichi desperately attempted to ignore. While Seita looked ready to burst a vein upon discovering that his self-proclaimed arch-nemesis had dared to infiltrate the tranquility of his university, Shuichi smiled nervously, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead, and tried his best to concentrate on his professor's lecture (one that was, thankfully, far less intimidating and disconcerting than those of his senior high school homeroom teacher, Miss Chiyo Nagai). Shuichi recalled the profound hatred that Seita had harbored against him, having tried in vain to destroy both his academic and social reputation at Mieou Academy throughout their senior year. With a slight frown, Shuichi admitted to himself that Seita had come alarmingly close in succeeding in his mission on more than one occasion, although the marble-filled track incident during the Sports Festival was the incident that came to the forefront of his mind. Still, there were certainly others who had unfortunately come closer. There had been Ritsuki Yamagashi and that humiliating picture she had taken at the Kurama-Onsen hot springs; Namiko Tatsuya and her betrayal during both the Cultural Festival and midterms; Miss Nagai's continuous insults throughout the year; Tasaka Kitijima's accurate, but still borderline deranged accusations against him and his sister Maya; Maya with her scatterbrained tendencies, which he had discovered all had been indirectly caused by him; Kyoji Hoshino starting up the rumor that both he and Maya were going out to begin with; Yuu Kaito's constant and nerve-wrecking insinuations about his demon past; and, of course, Hiroshi Sunada's mortifying proposal to him center stage during _Cinderella _after the rest of the cast fell into their own self-indulgent chaos. Yes, Shuichi's friends from Mieou Academy certainly had their own inventive ways of humiliating him on a regular basis.

Still, Shuichi had formed a sort of bond with all of them after he had at last been left with no choice but to reveal to them his demon past as Yoko Kurama. He had even thought he and Seita had agreed to a certain truce after graduation. But now, all Shuichi sensed was a hostility from his former high school rival turned current college peer. At the same time, in a way he supposed he couldn't imagine Seita not holding some contempt for him. After all, Seita had sworn that the truce would only be temporary until they met in college, although Shuichi never imagined their paths would cross again so directly. Yet, as much as Shuichi surmised, whatever irrational grudge that Seita held against him had somehow become an integral part of their friendship's bizarre charm.

As soon as the professor dismissed the class, Shuichi hoped to quickly slip out of the class, the movement undetected by Seita until it was too late. He would then meet up with Namiko, who was now in her second year at the University of Tokyo, and who was eager to see him now that he would be attending school with her. She was, after all, the proud former president of the Shuichi Minamino Fan Club at Mieou Academy. Regrettably, Seita would not let him escape so easily. Shuichi had made it out the door and into what he believed to be the safety of the hall and, just as he was about to breath a sigh of relief, the damning noise of Seita shouting, "_Minamino!_" resounded in the corridor.

The sound of his name spoken with such venom and fury made Shuichi's skin jump. Out of all the dangerous creatures, murderous demons, and plethora of people he had met in his long life, Seita Hachirobei still remained the one that made Shuichi feel the most uneasy. Putting on his best polite façade, as he so often did in high school, Shuichi smiled and said amiably, "Hello, Seita. It's so nice to see you again…"

"Don't give me all that cordial crap!" Seita snapped fiercely. "I know perfectly well what you're doing here, Minamino! So it wasn't enough that you had to get the best of me in high school, is that it? Now you had to come here and try and usurp me again in college, too, huh?!"  
Shuichi chuckled nervously and held his hands up pleadingly. "Really, it isn't anything like that, Seita."

"You bet it's not!" Seita nearly shouted, causing some of the students to begin to stare with apprehension (they were far less accustomed to the ranting and raving of Seita than the students at Mieou Academy were). "This time, I won't _let_ you beat me! You think you can come waltzing in here after being missing for a _whole_ _year -"_

"I was doing an internship," Shuichi explained simply.

"Ha!" Seita countered. "Because we all didn't see what a farce your two-year study abroad program turned out to be!"

Shuichi frowned. Seita did have a point, Shuichi reasoned, and every right not to believe him, although Shuichi doubted his previous act of deceit regarding his two year absence from high school was really the cause of Seita's dismissal of his explanation.

Luckily, Shuichi didn't need to come up with an answer to rebuke Seita, for Namiko Tatsuya came to his rescue, another event that was all too reminiscent of his high school days. She was hurrying down the hall, having caught sight of Shuichi, and was calling out, "Shuichi!"

Seita stepped back and turned red with rage at the sight of the arrival of Shuichi's most loyal ally and his second most hated rival of his short life. Eyeing Namiko with a twitching brow, he gasped, "It's a conspiracy!"

Namiko fluttered her eyes, not having expected to see him confronting Shuichi. "Seita?"

Growing more cross, Seita clenched an indignant fist and exclaimed, "I should have known you would have called Tatsuya as reinforcements, Minamino!"

Shuichi furrowed his brows in puzzlement while Namiko's initial surprise wore off and was replaced with annoyance. Placing her hands on her hips, she questioned, "What on earth are you talking about? I'm not here as Shuichi's reinforcements; I've been going to this school since last year - we're practically in all the same courses together, or have you forgotten?" She then turned to Shuichi and added, "Not by choice, mind you. It's just that we're both studying history…"

"Oh, that's nice," Shuichi answered with a polite smile while he made a personal note to himself to steer clear of all history electives at all costs so as to avoid becoming involved in the tumultuous and heated debates of Namiko and Seita, all of which always seemed to revolve around him somehow.

"It _will_ beif you don't _ruin_ it again with your _cheating_ - because that's what your fancy powers are, you know!" Seita resumed his rant. "You'll see, Minamino, I'm the one who's going to be on top this time! There's no way I'll allow you to defeat me! I'm already loved and praised throughout the entire history department! In fact, just last week I was contacted by the head of the department and given the opportunity to - "

"But I'm not studying history," Shucihi cut in with confusion.

Seita turned deathly white at this sudden revelation that destroyed the rivalry which he was consumed by, but reveled in nevertheless. "You're - you're not?" he stammered, looking defeated and heartbroken as he had waited so long for Shuichi return and subsequent downfall, one in which he had been meticulously and subconsciously plotting over the last year.

"No; I'm actually studying business," Shuichi explained lightly. "Come to think of it, it's actually more or less a complete coincidence that we ended up in the same class together, seeing how different our fields of study are. It's pretty funny, actually, when you really think about it…" As he began chuckling loudly and forcibly, Namiko frowned in bewilderment and Seita scowled with displeasure.

"This isn't funny, Minamino!" Seita snapped in outrage, causing Shuichi's laughter to abruptly cease. "Our rivalry was one that was supposed to be predestined, not some freak accident! Are you trying to tell me that all the suffering I endure in high school was all part of some random scheme rather than an epic plan of fate? What am I supposed to do now? Our paths weren't meant to diverge from each other's this much!" Raising his indignant and tightly clenched fist again, he cried out in angry desperation, "Damn it, Minamino! Who the hell would want to study stupid business for, anyway?!"

"Well, I always thought it was an interesting field," Shuichi answered, deflecting the more significant parts of Seita's rant.

"That's not the point at all!" Seita nearly shouted.

Namiko now let out a sigh of frustration, turned to Seita, and exclaimed, "This is ridiculous! Listen, if you want to keep complaining, then fine, but Shuichi and I are going to lunch. Are you going to come with us or what?"

Seita blinked in bafflement. "Lunch…?"

* * *

The three sat in the cafeteria at the student center, eating their meals at a round cafeteria table. Seita jabbed his chopsticks in his food while muttering every now and again what Shuichi surmised to be unintelligible profanities as he eyed Shuichi scornfully. Shuichi, on the other hand, listened attentively to Namiko as she spoke of the others to both Shuichi and Seita, filling them both in on the details of their old friends from Mieou Academy. 

"Hiroshi sent me an email yesterday," Namiko was in the middle of explained in between bites. "He said Ritsu should be coming back to Japan from New York any day now. She really made it big, you know - who knew that her family made their money by running an international modeling agency? Supposedly, she dyed her hair blond - can you believe it? - and she's got some big news, although Hiro didn't say what. Hiro did say that she plans to settle down, though, when she gets back to Japan, and go back to living a normal life. But she's supposed to be on the cover of some magazine that comes out today with some exclusive interview, so maybe that has something to do with her big secret news. Either way, I'm so excited to see her! I just hope she hasn't forgotten about us, now that she's famous…"

"I wonder what Tasaka will say, once she comes back…" Shuichi wondered aloud, stirring his drink with his straw.

"I don't know," Namiko answered truthfully. "From what Maya and Kyoji say, Tasaka gets kind of sullen and bitter whenever Hiro brings her up. They haven't talked to each other ever since she left for New York. I guess he kind of feels like a jilted lover…I mean, despite what he say, he obviously cared about her back at Mieou…"

Shuichi frowned at this solemn news and thought it best to change the subject to a cheerier topic. "What about Kyoji and Maya? How are they?"

"Oh, good. Well, Kyoji got an apartment with Tasaka and Hiroshi in Tokyo, and the three commute to Yokohama University together. And Maya's still at Tokyo Gakugei University, but she also got herself a new part-time job recently. I tried asking her more about it, but the conversation just kind of went in circles because she kept forgetting what we were talking about. Oh, that reminds me!" Namiko pulled out an envelope and handed it to Shuichi. "Maya told me to give this to you. She says she can't remember who gave it to her, though."

"That does sound like Maya…" Shuichi reminisced with a smile as he took the envelope.

"But at least she remembered it was for you," Namiko replied, smiling herself.

Meanwhile, Seita jabbed at his food again and grumbled bitterly, "Stupid Minamino getting his stupid letter and studying _stupid_ business…"

Shuichi only gave Seita a smile of pity before he turned to the letter, opening it up and pulling out a single white piece of paper with very little words typed on it. However, as soon as his eyes quickly scanned the top, Shuichi gasped.

"What is it?" Namiko asked curiously and Seita's interests, too, were peaked. Both leaned over to read over Shuichi's shoulder. "Yoko Kurama?" Namiko asked, reading from the letter. "Isn't that the name of…" She faded off, gasping herself and covering her mouth with her hand before looking to Shuichi with worry.

Seita, meanwhile, became irate and interrogated heatedly, "What mess have you gotten yourself into now, Minamino? This isn't going to be like that stupid _Cinderella_ incidence, is it? Because, I have you know, it completely goes against my ethics to defend a worthless patronizing bastard like _you_ - it's bad enough I had to do it once before!"

"You're not in trouble again, are you, Shuichi?" Namiko now asked. "Say if someone is trying to kill you again?"

"I don't know, really," Shuichi answered with some concern. "It doesn't say much, unfortunately, except to meet at this address at three o'clock this afternoon to hear about a 'promising opportunity.' And it's signed by a 'K.I.' I can't recall anyone I know with those initials, although I suppose I must have met someone with them in my past who could possibly hold a grudge against me now…"

Seita scoffed and crossed his arms. "It doesn't sound like a grudge to me; it sounds like someone is giving you a job offer. I thought you told us that you had given up your demon thieving ways! Obviously, that was all _lies_, but what else can we expect from a lying coward like Minamino?"

"I have given up my life as Yoko Kurama, though," Shuichi told him and rubbed his chin pensively, still studying the letter intently.

"Maybe this 'K.I.' guy never got the memo," Namiko offered eagerly. "You know, that you resigned and all."

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that," Shuichi said with a laugh before returning his attention to the letter. "Still…perhaps this does require more investigating. And how did Maya get a hold of such a letter…?"

"She is sort of baffling like that," Namiko remarked before rising from her seat. "Anyway, I have to get going, Shuichi, to that very important meeting I was telling you about yesterday - unless, of course, you need me to help out! Do you think it will be very serious?"

Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead as he recalled the last debacle in which Namiko and his other friends decided to "help out" against Haruka during the school play at Mieou Academy. "No, no…I think I'll be able to figure this one out fine on my own, Namiko. Thanks, though, and good luck."

Namiko gave a smile and a wave. "Thanks. Bye, Shuichi. Bye, Seita."

As she left the cafeteria, Seita grinned haughtily and stood up himself with a few cocky chuckles. "Well, Minamino, I, too, have a very important meeting myself. As I was trying to tell you before - before I was so _rudely _interrupted - I have been given a big opportunity to work on a research project under a certain Dr. Masaru Kuroki of the Tokyo Museum, particularly researching a new archaeological discovery made of a multitude of artifacts, some dating back over a thousand years ago. Exciting, isn't it? Especially compared to your paltry existence."

Shuichi smiled and said politely, "That sounds like a very good opportunity, Seita."

Seita glowered at this answer, snorting a bit and mumbling, "Patronizing bastard…" before turning to leave with a curt, "See you, Minamino."

"Bye, Seita…" he trailed off with a frown, turning his attention back to the letter. However, he stopped rereading it mid-sentence, his eyes widening with a sudden realization and a gasp. "Wait, Seita! Did you say…" He cut himself off when he looked up and saw that Seita had already gone. He then frowned in dismay and finished to himself with a groan, "…Tokyo Museum…"

* * *

What Shuichi had come to discover in that moment, Seita Hachirobei only discovered when it was too late and he had entered Dr. Kuroki's laboratory at Tokyo Museum and laid eyes upon the woman he loathed and despised the most - Namiko Tatsuya, chatting enthusiastically away with Dr. Masaru Kuroki. Dr. Kuroki smirked upon seeing a stunned Seita standing in the doorway. "Oh, you must be Seita Hachirobei." 

"Yes, but…but what is she…" Seita stuttered in shock.

Namiko, now noticing Seita's presence, gasped herself, her eyes widening in surprise and horror. "What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed.

"I could ask the same to you!" Seita countered, gaining control of his senses and becoming irate as he venomously eyes Namiko.

Dr. Kuroki's smirk remained as he began to explain, "Well, it's obvious you two know each other. My niece had recommended you when I showed her the list of candidates - she said you two would offer me impressive work, and that the competitive nature between the two of you would certainly drive you more than any other two students I could choose for this study. Although my niece said it would have been better if I had been able to pair off Seita with some Minamino fellow…"

"'Niece?'" both asked simultaneously, their anger giving way to perplexity.

"Your old homeroom teacher, Chiyo Nagai, of course," Dr. Kuroki answered, smirk widening into a grin.

Both scowled bitterly, eyeing the other one with disdain as Namiko muttered for the two of them, "Why is it that even after high school Miss Nagai has found a way to still torture us?"

"Stupid, evil woman," Seita grumbled in agreement.

But Dr. Kuroki just laughed and placing a hand on both of their shoulders, decided, "Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

Shuichi glowered in annoyance as he stood outside the location that was written on the letter. At last he knew what the initials of the mysterious sender, K.I.: Kaito Investigations, a sign in which hung over the door of a small, modest building on one of the busy streets of Tokyo. Whatever scheme Yuu Kaito desired Shuichi to take part in, Shuichi already wished no part of. He would not have even considered acknowledging the offer and walking into the newly established business if it were not for the fact that Shuichi had the sudden inkling that Maya's new part-time job had something to do with Kaito's investigatory business. 

This inkling was confirmed when the chirpy Maya Kitajima appeared strolling down the street just as Shuichi remembered her: looking completely puzzled as to where she was going and what she was doing. She had a vacant expression on her face as she stared upward at the tall buildings of Tokyo, glancing around and humming to herself as she tapped her finger to her chin.

Shuichi let out a sigh and called out, "Maya."

Maya's eyes fluttered a bit at the sound of her name and she at least looked down toward the street where Shuichi stood, only a few yards in front of him. She smiled happily upon seeing him and exclaimed, "Oh, hi, Shuichi! That must be the reason why I'm here. I must have been meeting you! I always forget these things!"

Shuichi tried not to frown and answered politely, "Actually, I don't think we had any plans to meet…I think you were heading to work." He gestured toward the building that read "Kaito Investigations."

The scatterbrained young woman stared at the sign for a long moment until it at last clicked in her head. "That's right! I got a new job working for Kaito! Now what is it that I exactly do again…?"

As she pondered this, Shuichi shook his head and said, "Perhaps we should go in…"

Maya conceded and as the two walked in, she asked, "Are you working here, too, Shuichi?"

Shuichi laughed uncomfortably, trying his best not to show his annoyance at the mere idea. "We'll see, Maya…"

In the rundown, humble office accommodations sat Yuu Kaito, leaned back in his seat with his legs on his desk and a manga in his hands. He vaguely looked up from his manga to acknowledge Maya, in which he greeted, "Oh, hey, Maya." His eyes then caught sight of Shuichi. He immediately lowered his legs from his desk and placed his manga down. "Good afternoon, Shuichi. I'm glad you were able to find the place. How about you take a seat?" He offered the seat in front of his desk.

Shuichi, however, scowled skeptically. "Just what is going on here?"

"A business, of course," Kaito answered offhandedly. "One in which your talents would be most appreciated."

"What kind of talents?" Maya inquired in puzzlement as she took a table that was off to the right side. "What is it that we do here again, Kaito?"  
"Don't worry about that now, Maya," Kaito quickly brushed her off. "Don't you have something to read to pass the time for now before I debrief you on your next assignment?"  
Maya's eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Oh, yes! I have to read that interview with Ritsuki…" She then pulled out a magazine that had the flashy Ritsuki Yamagashi on the cover, dressed as scantily as ever, with gaudy accessories and done-up red nails, a lascivious grin, smug, devilish eyes, and newly dyed blond hair. "See?"  
Shuichi frowned a little at the bold way in which Ritsuki had chosen to gratuitously show off her natural assets while Kaito remained apathetic and remarked, "Well, I always said that insufferable woman was good for something - at least now we can look at her without having to actually deal with her obnoxious personality."

"I suppose so…" Shuichi trailed off, taking a seat.

"Now, then, about my business proposition," Kaito then began, a glint of deviousness in his eyes. "I believe that you would agree with me that you would be a most excellent employee, especially as our line of work will be dealing with paranormal investigations, many cases of which I'm sure will arise in a big city like Tokyo."

"I'm not working for you," Shuichi said flatly. "And I also think that this is a bad idea. Especially now that you've got Maya involved. You don't know what dangers she could face and Maya's not equipped to handle herself."

"Of course she is," Kaito argued. "She has a very acute spiritual sense. She'll be very useful to track spiritual anomalies - demons, ghosts, etcetera. Besides, it's only a bad idea if Tasaka finds out."

"He _will_ find out."

"Only if you tell him," Kaito concluded and Shuichi sighed in frustration. Kaito then continued on, "Anyway, even with Maya, we still require someone to actually fight said spiritual anomalies, in which I feel your abilities would become quite handy."  
"I already explained to you that I've given up on my past demon life; I'm living my life as Shuichi Minamino from now on," Shuichi answered. "And when do you have time to run a business? Aren't you supposed to be going to school in Mito at Ibaraki University?"

"It's only an hour train commute from Tokyo to Mito," Kaito reasoned. "Besides, I'm rather resourceful when it comes to my time."  
"Or you expect me to do everything while you sit around in this office," Shuichi surmised bitterly.

"Pretty much; but that's the perks of being the boss," Kaito admitted lackadaisically.

"Listen, Kaito; I already told you I think that this is a bad idea," Shuichi continued to argue. "And I've already committed myself to living my life as an ordinary college student."

"But don't most college students have part-time jobs?" Kaito countered.

"Not ones that involve fighting demons," Shuichi replied. "I'm sorry, Kaito, but I've given up my demon life as Yoko Kurama. You'll have to find somebody else."

"Well, don't you think that it's your obligation to atone for that sinful demon past of yours by making good use of your powers and protecting mankind?" Kaito now argued slyly.

"I hardly see how getting paid to fight demons and charging people for saving them qualifies as me atoning for my demon past," Shuichi rebutted crossly.

Kaito smirked now and asked, "Are you insinuating, then, that you are willing to work for free?"  
Shuichi let out a groan of disgust. "I think you're missing the point entirely."  
"Yeah, yeah - bad idea and all that - I _know_," Kaito brushed him off. "But don't you think it will be an even _worse_ idea if you're not part of it? You said so yourself that Maya can't handle things on her own. What will happen if you're not there to chaperone her? And I have you know, our prices are very affordable given our services. I mean, a hundred thousand yen isn't asking much considering how deadly and destructive some of those demons can be. Besides, we go on a case to case basis, mostly."

Shuichi frowned as Kaito smirked deviously, as if already knowing what Shuichi's answer would be. Shuichi supposed that he couldn't allow Kaito to run things on his own without some supervision, especially seeing as Maya was involved. His good conscience unfortunately had him trapped, which he was sure Kaito had cleverly imagined would happen. Why was it so difficult for him to escape his demon life at times? Now he would be reminded of it regularly. Still, perhaps some good would come out of his working for Kaito Investigations. Perhaps, in some way, Kaito was right and he would have the chance to use his powers for the betterment of society. Still, knowing that the aloof Kaito was in charge and that the dazed and confused Maya was his number one employee at the moment, Shuichi doubted that any good could come out at all amidst the chaos that he was certain would arise. But, at the very least, Shuichi knew that he would be able to save Kaito and Maya from themselves and whatever danger they stupidly planned to wander into.

So, with a defeatist sigh, Shuichi yielded reluctantly, "Fine…I suppose I have time for a part-time job and I could use the pocket change. And as you seem to need the help at the moment…"

Kaito grinned victoriously. "Political as ever, aren't you, Shuichi?" Shuichi glowered in annoyance at this familiar accusation as Kaito rose and called out, "Hey, Hiro; come out here, won't you?"  
"Hiro?" Shuichi wondered aloud. "As in Hiroshi Sunada?"

At that moment, a door on the left slid open, revealing a large storage area that was filled with racks and neatly wrapped clothes and Hiroshi Sunada, smirking deviously and with a camcorder in his hands. "So you got our dear Shu-chan to join us?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Kaito answered smugly.

Shuichi now stood up, questioning, "What is Hiroshi Sunada doing here?"

"Hiro is in charge of advertising and public relations," Kaito explained. "He'll be filming you and your assignments for both promotional reasons and so I can evaluate your performance."

"I've also made some great costumes for you to wear," Hiro added. "After all, you have to look presentable if you're going to be a superhero and the poster child for Kaito Investigations."

Shuichi now laughed nervously. "Is that…uh…all really necessary?"

"Of course it is," Hiroshi insisted. "Besides, I did a wonderful job on your _Cinderella_ costume, wouldn't you say? And think of all the times I'll get to undress you now, my dear Shu-chan. If only Ritsu were here to join in on the fun." He frowned a bit, but then perked up some, holding up his camcorder. "But now I'll get it all on film, instead of just photographed like we did back in high school. And, you must admit, film is much more kinkier than photographs. If only our little adventure at the Kurama-Onsen was filmed, as well…"

Both Kaito and Shuichi grimaced in annoyance and embarrassment at that mortifying memory, cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. "_Anyway_," Kaito interrupted Hiroshi's perverse reminiscing. "I assure you, Shuichi, nothing of that nature will be filmed or photographed or someone will be quickly fired." He shot a glare at Hiroshi who simply smirked back casually. "Just think of it more as…Hiroshi being the Tomoyo to your Sakura." Both Shuichi and Hiroshi now became confused at this obscure and unfamiliar reference, looking to Kaito for further clarification. "You know…Tomoyo and Sakura? _Card Captor Sakura? _CLAMP? It's a very popular manga." When the two still seemed to be puzzled, Kaito muttered, "I should suppose that you two wouldn't know anything about manga, especially Shuichi, given how dull he is. But now that that's all settled…" He then took a seat back at his desk and began reading his newest manga again.

"_Where is he?!_" the sound of a thoroughly irate Tasaka Kitajima then came booming through the otherwise quiet and tranquil office of Kaito Investigations, causing Shuichi to cringe worriedly and Kaito to look more annoyed than anything else. Hiroshi, on the other hand, quickly switched his camcorder on to capture the fight he was sure was about to ensue.

"Calm down, Takasa!" Kyoji Hoshino's voice came next, trying to hold back the raging Tasaka as they crossed through the doorway into Kaito Investigations.

"Oh, hi, Tasaka!" Maya greeted her brother with blissful ignorance at his anger. "What are you doing here?"

Tasaka, however, ignored her, pushed Kyoji off him, and went directly toward Kaito. "_You!_ How dare you get my sister involved in this shady business!"  
"She needed a job so I gave her an offer," Kaito explained nonchalantly, his eyes more focused on his reading than the furious Tasaka.

"So she can work at a library or as a waitress! Not as some crazy demon hunter!" Tasaka shouted, slamming his hands on Kaito's desk. "Where do you get off putting her in danger like that?! And then not even telling me about it!"  
"Well, I think we've established why I didn't tell you," Kaito remarked coolly, glancing at Tasaka's hands which had just been ferociously slammed onto his desk.

Tasaka's face became red with anger. "This isn't a joke! I don't want my sister working here!"

Kyoji now stepped up, pointing an accused finger at Hiroshi. "I told you that you shouldn't have told me, Hiro! You know I have a big mouth and I'd just slip up and tell Tasaka!"  
"That's _why_ I told you; after all, you must admit, this is pretty amusing," Hiroshi commented, smirk widening as he filmed.

"Listen here, Kaito! I _refuse_ to allow my sister to work here!" Tasaka reiterated with even more conviction. He then caught sight of Shuichi, who felt a jolt of anxiety as soon as Tasaka's wrathful glare landed on him. He had almost forgot how unnerving it was to have the angry eyes of Tasaka set squarely on him. "_You!_ I should have know that you would have somehow been involved in this, Minamino!" he accused vehemently. "It's not enough that you had to make my sister half brain-dead! Now you're making her fight demons that will probably try and kill her or worse! I swear, if something happens to my sister, I will rip all of you limb from limb!"

"Now, Tasaka, I assure you…" Shuichi began worriedly, but frowned, finding himself actually partially believing Tasaka's violent, albeit over-the-top threat.

"Don' patronize me, Minamino, like I don't have any reason to be concerned!" Tasaka argued. "My sister is the most important person to me and if anything were to happen to her - "

"Hey, Ritsu's getting married!" Maya interjected suddenly, holding up the magazine.

As soon as these words came spilling out of Maya's lips, the color drained from Tasaka's face as his eyes become somber and lost. The others looked on in surprise and shock at such an announcement and then at Tasaka with pity. "My sister…" Tasaka began again, but could not think of what he was saying. He then turned to face Maya and asked desperately, "What?"

"Ristu's getting married here in Japan in six weeks," Maya answered, oblivious to her brother's pain and regret.

And the fervor and spirit in the usually emotional Tasaka Kitajima vanished and was replaced with the sullen melancholy of hopeless defeat and despair.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, all! Here's chapter two of _Everybody Loves Shuichi, The Sequel!: But What About Kurama?_

Anyway, this chapter is a little sadder than the others (poor Tasaka!), but hopefully everyone will enjoy it! Also, Miss Nagai, Kokoda, and Mr. Fukuda should appear in chapter three (and hopefully Kurama's parents, too!), and Yusuke definitely will be in chapter four (considering his name is in the title of the chapter, lol!). Also, chapter three will be Kurama's first mission (in which the action/adventure plot should get under way). As for this chapter, Ritsuki is back! Yay!

Well, that's it for now! R&R and thanks for reading!

Chapter Two: Ritsuki's Getting Married! An Odd and Unexpected Reunion!

"'Tall, dark, mysterious, muscular, drop-dead gorgeous with the most stunning and manly physique…'" Kaito read aloud from the magazine article from his desk at Kaito Investigations. "Hmm…it doesn't sound anything like you, Tasaka," he commented, placing down the magazine and looking over at the lean Tasaka.

Tasaka, who sat at the table with Shuichi, Maya, Hiroshi, and Kyoji, just grumbled glumly and glowered bitterly, staring down at the old ring Ritsuki had given to him when she had "proposed" to him during their high school play. He had always carried it with him, ever since she had given it to him. Meanwhile, Kaito continued on, "It says here that he's also a 'fantastic actor, who is exceptionally sophisticated, charming, and mature. Simply put, he is the epitome of masculine perfection.'" He then eyed the often brash and overly emotional Tasaka and remarked, "Definitely nothing like you at all."

Tasaka let out a frustrated sigh, but said nothing as he continued to eye the ring in disappointment and self-contempt; how could he have been so foolish as to think that Ritsuki would remember him after a whole year? She had just liked teasing him in high school, that's all - it was nothing that was supposed to be taken seriously, but, rather, something she did to pass the time. And yet he still couldn't help but feel depressed about the whole thing.

Shuichi, feeling some sympathy for the dejected Tasaka, offered, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Tasaka. High school sweethearts often drift apart…"

"Yeah, Tasaka; did you really think that a hot babe like Ritsuki was going to stay around with an average guy like you when she could have any guy she wanted?" Kyoji now spoke up and Shuichi groaned at this pathetic and thoughtless attempt of cheering up the already downtrodden Tasaka, who now appeared even more miserable.

"What Kyoji means is that…well…she had a lot of opportunities to meet other people, so it's only natural…" Shuichi trailed off, frowning, as he saw how Tasaka fervently eyed the ring that he both despised and cherished. "It has been a year, you know, Tasaka…perhaps it's best if you move on…"

"Especially seeing as she hasn't even talked to you in a whole year," Kyoji added. "Seriously, who needs her, anyway? There's no way you could compete with all those celebrity types, so why worry about it? Besides, you know what she's like - she flirts with everyone, so of course she flirted with you back in high school."

"I don't think you're helping much, Kyoji…" Shuichi told Kyoji with a frown, noticing how miserable and angry Tasaka looked.

"I wonder who she's marrying; it must be someone super famous!" Maya chirped excitedly now.

"Out of all the things that you forget, why can't this be one of them?" Tasaka at last muttered disdainfully.

Maya frowned. "Forget what?"

"Never mind, Maya," Tasaka mumbled under his breath, returning his attention to the ring.

"I'm sure you'll find someone else, Tasaka," Shuichi spoke again. "And I'm sure you and Ritsuki will still be friends."

"Just give it a rest, Minamino," Tasaka snapped, although he continued glaring down at the ring. "I don't want your pity."

Shuichi frowned, while Hiroshi said, "I'm sorry, Tasaka. I should have told you sooner."

Tasaka now lifted his head. "You mean, you knew?"

Hiroshi nodded solemnly. "Ritsu said she didn't want me to tell you. She said you'd get angry, which I guess she was right. Still, I suppose it would have been better than you finding out from a magazine article. But maybe she just wanted to tell you in person…"

Tasaka just scoffed and lowered his head with angry tears in his dark eyes. "Stupid Yamagashi…"

"Is _this_ what that letter was all about?" the voice of Namiko came from the doorway of Kaito Investigations. The others turned to see her standing at the door, with Seita reluctantly standing behind her. "And here I was worried that something bad was going to happen to Shuichi!" She then frowned in puzzlement and furrowed her brows. "Hey, what is everybody doing here? And what's with all the sad faces?"

"Ritsuki's getting married!" Maya exclaimed.

"Huh?" Namiko asked.

Kaito then held up the magazine for her to see. "It's true."

"Oh, wow! Is she marrying someone famous?" Namiko asked giddily as she ran over to Kaito's desk and snatched the magazine from her. "Ooh! 'Tall, dark, mysterious, muscular, drop-dead gorgeous with the most stunning and manly physique…' And he's 'sophisticated' and 'charming' - he sounds just as great as Shuichi!"  
Shuichi gave a modest laugh while Seita crossed his arms and grumbled irritably, "Stupid Minamino…"

"Oh, and he's an actor, too! Oh, wow!" Namiko continued to gush. "I wonder who it is! He must be someone _super_ famous! I wonder if we'll get to meet him! Maybe I can get his autograph!" She then lifted her eyes from the magazine article and turned around to see the depressed and bitter expression on Tasaka's face. The vigor in Namiko's visage was quickl replaced with sympathy as she closed the magazine and said softly, "Oh, Tasaka…"

Seita, in the meantime, questioned, "What going on here, anyway? Is this supposed to be some sort of reunion?"

"No, it's supposed to be a business, actually," Kaito explained matter-of-factly. "Maya, Shuichi, and Hiroshi are all my employees, at the moment. Tasaka stopped by to…_visit_ his sister, let's just say, and Kyoji came along."

"I see," Namiko replied.

"But one must wonder what the two of you are doing together," Kaito mused now. "Seeing as last time I checked, you both hated each other."

Namiko and Seita grimaced resentfully now and Namiko answered for them, "Unfortunately, it seems that Seita and I are both working on the same research project at Tokyo Museum with Miss Nagai's uncle, Dr. Kuroki…it would be a fabulous learning experience if the company was more bearable, but sometimes you have to make due…"

"Who are you calling 'unbearable company?!'" Seita shouted in defiance. "I didn't even want to come here in the first place! You're the one who dragged me here after our session with Dr. Kuroki, you know!"

"Because Shuichi could have been in danger!" Namiko argued. "Although, he could still be in danger, now that I think about it." She then sharply spun back toward Kaito. "Just how safe is this little business of yours going to be, hmm?"

Shuichi now laughed and insisted, "Don't worry, Namiko. I can handle myself just fine, I assure you…"

"Of course you can, Shuichi!" Namiko then exclaimed, her icy demeanor leaving her. "Not that I ever doubted your amazing abilities…"

"I think the real problem here is that Miss Nagai actually has _relatives_," Kyoji then interjected with a shudder.

"It is quite startling," Kaito agreed, pulling up his manga again and pondering lackadaisically, "Perhaps I should start charging people for loitering in my building for no apparent reason other than to bother me with their inane chit-chat, seeing as so many unauthorized personnel have been occupying it as of late…"

As those "unauthorized personnel" - specifically, Namiko, Seita, and Kyoji - scowled at Kaito, who had become consumed once more with his manga, Hiroshi cell phone began to ring. "Hmm?" Hiroshi hummed, pulling out his cell-phone from his pocket. Recognizing the name on the Caller I.D., he said in surprise, "Hey, it's Ritsuki."

The group quickly turned their attention to Hiroshi, who flipped open the phone and answered, "Hello? Ritsu?…I should tell you…yeah, everyone's already heard…even Tasa-chan…well, they're all here right now and read it in that interview…of course, he's upset. You know how he is…you want to talk to them?" Hiroshi then turned to the others and said, "Here. Ritsuki wants to talk to you." He then put his cell-phone on speaker.

"Hi, everyone!" the exuberant voice of Ritsuki came squealing through the phone. "It's so great to be talking to everyone again! Now, I know it's short notice, but I just arrived in Tokyo - it's so good to be back! - and I _insist_ that you all come to my suite on the top floor of the Tokyo hotel this evening, six o'clock sharp! No buts about it! After all, we have so much to catch up on and it's been a whole year! I've got so very much to tell you and a big surprise - well, Hiro told me you already know, which is kind of a shame. But wait until you see who my fiancé is! You'll all be so excited! You better be, anyway, because he's really spectacular! Ooh! I can't wait! And I expect you all to be at my wedding, but we'll talk about that when you get here, of course. And I do mean everyone better come tonight - that means Shu-chan, Nami, Ma-chan, Kyo-Kyo, Sei-Sei, Yuu-chan, and Hiro! And you, too, Tasa-chan! I know you're angry with me, but it simply won't be the same if you're not there - and I just couldn't get married without you at the wedding, so you better plan to come to that, too! If you don't come, I'll have to track you down and drag you there myself!" She let out a cackling laugh which caused the others to cringe. "Anyway, that's all! See you in a few hours! Love, hugs, and kisses! Bye!" She blew a kiss on the phone before hanging up before any of them could get a word in edgewise.

"Damn woman…she's just as pushy as always," Kaito muttered in annoyance, glaring at the phone as Hiroshi flipped it closed.

"Well, I suppose she's just eager to see us all," Shuichi reasoned, frowning a bit.

And Tasaka just glanced back down at the ring with a look of defeat glistening in his somber eyes.

* * *

Knowing that they had little choice in the matter, given Ritsuki's aggressive nature, the group headed for the luxurious Tokyo Hotel. Even the reluctant Tasaka begrudgingly went along, holding tightly to the ring, although he kept both hands shoved in his coat pockets. When they arrived at the hotel, they quickly were escorted to the top floor in which a grand suite awaited them.

"This is so glamorous!" Namiko gushed excitedly as she looked around at their extravagant, slightly gaudy surroundings.

"I've stayed at a few suites like this before when I accompanied my father on some of his business trips during my internship," Shuichi noted.

"Wow, Shuichi! That's so cool!" Namiko praised, clasping her hands together and staring up at Shuichi dreamily, which caused Shuichi to smile politely.

It was then that Ritsuki appeared, dressed in a provocative, tight, and very revealing short red dress with a squeal of excitement. "You're all here!"

"Ritsu!" both Namiko and Maya cheered upon seeing their old friend while the boys, save Hiroshi, seemed less than thrilled to see the spoiled and vain woman again.

After the three girls hugged, Ritsuki said, "Sit down! Sit down!"

And so they obeyed and took their seats, Tasaka trailing behind and sitting down last, while Ritsuki quickly served them sake. She then sat herself and began quickly chatting away, telling of her year away in New York, a conversation which Namiko and Maya eagerly participated in while the others looked more or less bored by the discussion. Ritsuki then proceeded to question the others about their own lives during the last year, in which the group went through the mundane details of college life. Tasaka, however, refused to engage in the conversation, and remained ever stubborn, grimacing glumly at the wall and avoiding eye contact with Ritsuki at all costs.

"But what about you, Ritsu?" Namiko then asked. "Who is it that you're marrying? When will we get to meet him? I bet he's famous, right?"

Ritsuki laughed shrilly. "Oh, I can't wait to tell you! He's actually in the hotel already, so it should be soon! I just have to find the right moment to reveal it to you all! I mean, he's so special that's it's got to be a special introduction!"

"Oh, wow, I can't wait!" Namiko exclaimed.

"It'll be so cool to meet a real celebrity," Kyoji concurred.

"Now, look what you're doing, Ritsu," Hiroshi now said with a sly smirk. "You're building up their expectations of him. I hope he doesn't disappoint them now."

"You mean, you know _who_ it is, too?" Kyoji asked eagerly.

"Of course I do. Ritsu tells me everything," Hiroshi answered casually.

"That's so unfair!" Namiko complained. "How could you tell Hiro and not me and Ma-chan?"

"Because I want it to be a surprise!" Ritsuki insisted. "And don't worry, Hiro! There's no way he could be a disappointment! He's just too wonderful!"

Tasaka now scoffed, having reached his breaking point. He clutched tightly onto the ring, making a fist until his knuckles were white, and snapped furiously, "Who the hell cares who this guy is? He's probably some stupid jerk, anyway."

Ritsuki then frowned. "Tasa-chan…you really shouldn't say those sort of things…"

Tasaka grunted, grinding his teeth. "Whatever; I don't really care either way what you do, Yamagashi.." He then got up off the couch and brushed past the group, marching out the terrace and sliding the glass door shut.

The others frowned in dismay and looked to Ritsuki, whose eyes lingered toward the glass door, gazing at the angry and dejected Tasaka.

"You shouldn't let Tasaka bother you," Shuichi then said to Ritsuki. "He only says those things because he still cares about you. I'm sure he won't stay angry with you for that long."

Ristuki now let out a laugh, waving her hands as if to assure the others she was okay. "Oh, I know, I know. It's still just makes me a little sad to see Tasaka so upset, that's all. But I'm sure that once the wedding is all over with, he'll really be happy with the decision."

"I agree," Shuichi answered with a smile before standing up himself. "Perhaps I'll go talk with him…"

"Oh, that would be so great, Shu-chan!" Ritsuki exclaimed. "I really don't want him to be angry with me - not tonight, when it's supposed to be so very special for me. I simply couldn't announce my fiancé in these sort of conditions!"

Shuichi gave a nod and then went onto the terrace himself, sliding the glass door behind him. Tasaka stood, shivering in the evening cold and leaning over the balcony railing and glancing down at the busy street of Tokyo below. Shuichi stepped beside him and said, "Hey, Tasaka…"

"Just leave me alone, Minamino," Tasaka muttered. "I don't want to talk to you."

"You really shouldn't be so bitter, Tasaka," Shuichi, however, persisted. "I know you're upset, but - "

"You don't know anything about me or how I feel," Tasaka cut him off angrily. "Now go away."

Shuichi let out a sigh. Perhaps it would be more difficult than he initially realized to deal with the scorned heart of a jilted lover. Still, Shuichi had never backed down from a challenge before and he certainly couldn't now, especially when it so deeply involved his friends.

However, before Shuichi had a chance to speak again, Tasaka remarked resentfully, "That Yamagashi…she never thinks about anyone else but herself. I don't really care what she does, but if I did…well, the least she could have done is talk to me first! I just can't stand her sometimes! Who would want to marry such an annoying, spoiled, selfish woman like her, anyway?!" With that, he closed his eyes tightly and thrust his arm upward, clenching tightly to the ring in his raised fist, as if ready to hurl it downward in the streets of Tokyo. Yet, as his fist hung in the air, he couldn't bring himself to let go of the ring. Instead, the anger in his expression dispersed and was replaced with a sullen regret as he lowered his hand and opened his fist. Looking down at the ring that lay in his palm, he said quietly, "Hey, Minamino, remember that race back in high school?"

Shuichi's eyes fluttered in surprise, bewildered by the sudden change in conversation. Regaining his senses after a few moments, he replied, "Yes, I remember."

"Do you remember that I told you that I thought I was in love?"

Shuichi paused for a moment before recalling the bizarre conversation that he had had with Tasaka before the race had begun, in which Tasaka had declared he had to win the race and had run faster than Shuichi thought was humanly possible. "Yes, I remember that, too," Shuichi answered, still confused as he was on that day.

"I was trying to win the race for Yamagashi," Tasaka replied quietly, before he turned to Shuichi and proclaimed loudly and with a painful regret flashing in his eyes, "I wanted to win the race for Yamagashi!"

Shuichi frowned, taken aback by this odd declaration and the visible sorrow in Tasaka's pained expression. Replaying the conversation again in his head, it at last made sense to him and Shuichi grimaced with pity for the embittered Tasaka, who now cast his eyes away from Shuichi in embarrassment. "Tasaka…"

"Never mind. Just forget it," Tasaka quickly brushed him off, shoving his hands, ring included, in his coat pockets again. He glanced down at his feet, his face now beat red. "It's just stupid high school stuff, anyway. What does it matter now?"

It was then that the glass door slid open and out popped Ritsuki's head onto the terrace. "Hey, Shu-chan…can I talk to Tasa-chan for a moment?"

Shuichi frowned, but nodded, stepping back into the hotel room as Ritsuki slipped past him and onto the terrace, sliding the door closed behind her. She slowly stepped beside Tasaka and said, "Hi, Tasa-chan. How are you?"

"Fine," he muttered flatly.

"You've hardly talked to me at all this whole evening and I've missed you so much," Ritsuki continued with a smile.

"Then why didn't you just call me while you were in New York?" Tasaka questioned, keeping his eyes diverted from hers.

"Because I was so busy!" Ritsuki insisted. "Besides, I could say the same thing about you, too."

Tasaka snorted. "Why the hell would I call you? I didn't say I missed you."

"Tasa-chan, you're always so angry," Ritsuki replied with a sigh. She then smiled and perked up, placing a hand on his arm. "Hey, Tasa-chan! You should see all the cute boys I met in America! I took tons of pictures! Some of them are really naughty!" She let out a flirtatious laugh.

"Why the hell would I want to look at that for?" Tasaka grumbled.

"Don't tell me you're acting jealous again!"

"Why would I be jealous?!" Tasaka exclaimed angrily, as if a reflex and as he often had done back in high school, and turned to face her now. However, when they're eyes met, he quickly blushed and his gaze darted away, back toward Tokyo. "I mean, I never liked you to begin with so why would I have a reason to be jealous?" he said, although there was a hint of bitterness in his voice that gave his true feeling away.

A moment of silence passed before Ritsuki said, "Tasa-chan, are you very angry with me?"

"No," Tasaka replied coarsely. "I mean, why would I care what you do?"

Ritsuki now stood up straight. "Listen, Tasa-chan. We'll always be friends - best friends, even! That's why it's important you're not angry with me. I simply couldn't live with myself, knowing my best friend was angry with me, especially on my wedding day, of all days!"

"I already said I don't care," Tasaka reiterated, growing more annoyed.

"You don't?" Ritsuki asked.

"_No_."

"You don't even care that I'm getting married?" Ritsuki persisted.

"Do whatever the hell you want. I just feel bad for that poor jerk who gets stuck with you for a wife."

"That's cruel!" Ritsuki whined, but smirked playfully. After a pause, she ordered, "Then promise me."

"What?" Tasaka asked in surprise, confused with her instructions, and looked to her.

"Promise me that you're not angry with me," Ritsuki clarified.

"Why do I have to promise that for?" he asked irritably.

"Because if you really don't care you'd promise."

Tasaka sighed and rolled his eyes, glaring away again. "I promise I'm not angry with you," he muttered reluctantly.

"And you promise that you don't care who I marry?"

"_Yes_," Tasaka replied sharply.

"And that, no matter who it is, you won't get angry, or try to stop the wedding, or try and change my mind? That you'll accept my decision whole-heartedly and let me marry whoever I want to six weeks from today?"

Tasaka sighed in frustration, growing more annoyed, and, turning back to her, hastily exclaimed in exasperation, "Yeah, yeah, _I_ _promise!_"

However, as soon as these words carelessly slipped out, he realized his mistake, for Ritsuki was grinning wildly and wickedly with triumphant glee and her eyes were flashing deviously. Tasaka's mouth gaped open, but no words would come out as he slowly ran through the day's events and their conversation in his head - particularly the all-damning promise he had just made - slowly coming to the horrifying conclusion that he had been completely and utterly duped.

Ritsuki, however, was giggling fiercely now, her grin widening. Tasaka, after a few seconds of shocked revelation, snapped back to his senses, and began to protest, "Now, hold on a second!"

"A promise is a promise, Tasa-chan!" she exclaimed happily, relishing in both her victory and Tasaka's own torment as she slid open the glass door and went back into the hotel room.

"You tricked me!" Tasaka shouted out of both anger and desperation, chasing after her as the others, who sat in the hotel suite, looked at the two in bafflement.

"Don't be so bitter, Tasa-chan," Ritsuki, however, insisted lightly. "You should have been clever enough to figure it out. Besides, I think I was rather clear in what I was asking you to promise. You promised me that you'd let me marry _whoever_ I wanted, no exceptions!"

"Yeah, but that's because you made me think…" Tasaka trailed off before letting out a low growl and shouting, "It's not fair and you know it!"

"But, Tasa-chan, I've already bought myself a wedding dress and rented out a hall here at the hotel!" Ritsuki explained, pouting. "The whole wedding's already been planned!"

"So _un-plan_ it!"

"Um…just what is going on exactly…?" Shuichi now asked for the group, who appeared incredibly puzzled.

"Oh, Tasa-chan's just being a big baby, that's all!" Ritsuki brushed Shuichi off with a laugh. "It's really because he loves me so much, of course…"

"No, it's because you're a dirty liar!" Tasaka nearly screamed, causing the others to wince. "And I do _not_ love you!"

"She really wasn't dishonest with you," Hiroshi now spoke up, smirking slyly. "You're the one who went jumping to all these different conclusions."

"You mean, you knew?! How could you not tell me?!" Tasaka questioned heatedly.

"I already explained that to you; Ritsu thought you'd get angry," Hiroshi explained.

"Of course I'm angry! She planned a whole wedding and she didn't even tell me!" Tasaka shouted, pointing a furious and accusing finger at Ritsuki.

"Why did she have to tell you for?" Kyoji asked in puzzlement. "I mean, sure it would have been _nice_ if she did…"

"_Because_ _I'm the groom!_"

The group gasped, stunned, before crying out, "_What?!_"

"But…but…" Namiko now stammered. "In the interview you said that your fiancé was 'drop-dead gorgeous,' and 'tall,' 'dark,' and 'mysterious' - the 'epitome of masculine perfection!'"

"Not to mention, 'sophisticated, charming, and mature,' all of which Tasaka is definitely not," Kaito pointed out.

"Of course my Tasa-chan is!" Ritsuki insisted, taking hold of Tasaka's arm and clinging to it tightly, causing Tasaka to glower at her with even more animosity. "And he's very handsome, in my opinion - after all, he has the number one photographed butt of all time at Mieou Academy!"

"But you said he was a 'fantastic actor,'" Shuichi noted with a frown.

"Well, I think he was just fantastic playing the prince in _Cinderella_, wouldn't you say, Hiro?" Ritsuki answered with a playful grin.

"Just marvelous, Ritsu," Hiroshi replied, smirking back.

"And all this time we thought it was a celebrity," Kyoji said disappointedly. "And it was only dull and boring Tasaka."

"Who are you calling 'dull and boring?!'" Tasaka exclaimed, raising his free hand, clenching it into an indignant fist. He then glared back at Ritsuki and shouted, "And we are not getting married!"

"You know, Tasa-chan, you already promised me you wouldn't get angry," Ritsuki reminded him. "Besides, it's not like I really went behind your back, considering we were already engaged."

"We were not engaged - " Tasaka began irately, but stopped as Ritsuki quickly let go of his arm and slipped her hand into his coat pocket, pulling out their engagement ring he had held from back in high school. She smiled at him knowingly, holding up the ring, as his face turned bright red with embarrassment and his eyes fell down to his feet in defeat.

"A promise is a promise, Tasa-chan," she repeated, trapping him thoroughly.

A bead of sweat dripped down Tasaka's forehead, as his cheeks became redder and his countenance filled with anxiety. Feeling the others' eyes weighing down on him and the ring already revealing the truth he had so desperately tried to keep hidden from Ritsuki, Tasaka relinquished bashfully, "Fine…I guess we'll get married…"

Ritsuki let out a cheer of excitement, wrapping her arms tightly and vigorously around his, as she cried happily, "I knew you'd say 'yes,' Tasa-chan!"

"Like I really had a choice," Tasaka muttered, face still flushed with embarrassment.

Ritsuki then turned to the others and declared, "And now I present to you my fiancé, Tasa-chan! In six weeks we're officially getting married and you're all invited!"

Tasaka gulped nervously, realizing what little time he had left as a free man while the other applauded half-heartedly, still disappointed in Ritsuki's choice for her groom as they were hoping to meet someone famous. And Shuichi smiled with some relief, knowing that for once he was not the center of attention.

Unfortunately for Shuichi, the feeling of relief would be brief, for that uncomfortable, nerve-wrecking, and distressing position would shortly fall upon him once again, much to his utter dismay.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Hiroshi's Big Opportunity! Shuichi's Wary Brush with Stardom!

Namiko worked in Dr. Kuroki's laboratory at the Tokyo Museum with her fellow intern Seita Hachirobei, working specifically on the new archaeological find that was at the center of Dr. Kuroki's research. At the moment, she was sorting through photographs they had taken of the various artifacts that had been scanned into a computer, trying to match them up with others in order to better classify them. Seita, meanwhile, was further examining one of the old vases with a magnifying glass; the vase had a strange passage etched into it, written in a language that had yet to be discovered.

Namiko sighed and leaned back in her seat when her latest search came up with no results. "It's so strange, don't you think, Seita? So many of these artifacts don't seem like they belong to any culture or era. They almost seem…otherworldly."

Seita continued studying the vase, but answered matter-of-factly, "Well, they were found together in Japan and the carbon-dating results show that the most recent of these is still over five hundred years old. Despite their differences, it's unlikely they were transported here - they must belong to some dead, historical civilization of Japan."

"Then how do you explain all the strange writing on some of these artifacts? There must at least five different languages other than Japanese among these artifacts, none of which has been discovered until these artifacts were unearthed," Namiko explained. "It's just _strange._"

"How should I know?" Seita then questioned edgily, standing up straight and eyeing Namiko. "All I know is that we're supposed to be trying our best to organize these things into some sort of exhibit, which is proving _very _difficult with your incessant questioning and the fact that all of these objects don't seem like they belong together at all!"

"Well, there is one thing I've noticed," Namiko then began. "None of these artifacts look like they would belong to peasant people. They all look like they would belong to the very wealthy, noble class - and we both agree that the collection is very eclectic. Perhaps someone was collecting all of these artifacts, like a treasure hunter…creating their own sort of treasure trove."

"But that still doesn't explain where half of these items come from," Seita argued, stepping away from the vase and walking toward her. "Like you said, they don't fit into any culture or era that we know of."

"Well, maybe - " Namiko suddenly stopped, noticing the vase. "Hmm?"

"What is it?" Seita asked curiously, looking at the vase himself.

"Part of the passage on that vase - it's missing," Namiko observed in puzzlement, pointing out a space that existed between two of the lines of writing.

"So?" Seita asked. "We don't know how the language works; perhaps it's how the writers indicated a new paragraph, or - "

"No, that's not what I meant," Namiko interrupted, shaking her head and turning back to the computer. Pushing a few keys, she continued, "Last week, when I took the photographs, there was a line of writing in that space. See?" The photograph of the vase then appeared on the computer screen.

Seita let out a shrill gasp of panic as his eyes darted back and forth between the photo and the vase beside him. "What do I do? What do I do? I destroyed an ancient artifact!"

Namiko glowered in frustration. "Don't be an idiot; how could you have done that? The writing was carved into the vase, not painted."

Seita scowled back. "That's easy for you to say! I bet it's sabotage! You're always trying to find a way to bring me down in order to please your precious _Minamino!_ Well, I refuse to be blamed for your treachery!"

"I didn't do it!" Namiko protested. "And how would I do something like that _anyway?_"

"Well, someone had to do it and right now I'm the one who's going to get blamed if Dr. Kuroki finds out, as I'm so sure you've diabolically planned!"

"I suppose you will be the one who gets blamed," Namiko answered, becoming lackadaisical and turning back to her work. "Let's just hope that Dr. Kuroki doesn't have the same temper as his niece."

And Seita's anger subsided as he let out a frightened yelp at the memory of the wrath of Miss Nagai.

* * *

"Mr. Hatanaka!" Miss Chiyo Nagai barked sharply, causing Kokoda Hatanaka to jump up from his seat. The rest of his classmates of class 3-4 at Mieou Academy looked on worriedly, fearing the worst for their fellow comrade.

"Yes, Miss Nagai, ma'am!" he answered hastily, standing as straight as he could.

Miss Nagai smirked, quite pleased with his display of obedience, and said, "As class representative, please address the class on our class and Mr. Fukuda's class trip three weeks from today and delegate out the necessary responsibilities…"

"Yes, ma'am," Kokoda said and began to explain the trip in detail to his class.

His explanation ran for the rest of the class, as there had been only fifteen more minutes left of the school day when Miss Nagai had given him his orders. As soon as the school bells chimed, Miss Nagai said icily, "Now that you are all aware of your duties on this trip, be certain that I will be monitoring to make sure that you actually fulfill them effectively. If you fail to meet my standards, the penalty will be harsh and unforgiving. This trip is meant to be educational, and therefore you will learn _something_, as insignificant as this knowledge may be. I will accept nothing more than a perfect score on your written assignments for this trip; anything less is failing, equating to a score of a zero. I refuse to tolerate goofing off on a class trip, and this method will ensure that you take this excursion seriously, perhaps even more seriously than you would my daily you have any questions or objections, feel free to keep them to yourselves; society outside of high school is a difficult trek, and you will rarely receive help or answers from others - and when you do, the help is usually useless and the answers are usually wrong. Be glad I'm preparing you all for that now instead of letting you continue on obliviously. Class, dismissed."

The class did their usual bows, forcing themselves not to groan for fear of invoking Miss Nagai's anger, and began packing their things to leave for the day. Kokoda, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief that he survived his address to the class without Miss Nagai cutting him down. Meanwhile, one of the girls in his class came up to him with a smile and said, "Great job, Kokoda; this trip sounds like it will be a lot of fun." Noticing Miss Nagai eyeing her with contempt as she began to pack her things as well, the girl quickly corrected, "Not too much fun, though, of course!" She then let out a nervous giggle and Miss Nagai sighed in disgust.

"Well, it's really all thanks to you, Akane - you're the one who helped plan it," Kokoda said bashfully, blushing a bit.

"Thanks, Kokoda," Akane replied sweetly. "It's only because you appointed me to your cabinet, though. So thanks for that, too!"

The crimson in Kokoda's cheeks deepened and he bowed his head politely. "You're welcome!" he blurted out.

Akane gave him a smile again and a wave. "Well, see you tomorrow, Kokoda!"

Looking up to see her leaving, he stammered, "Oh…uh…bye, Akane!"

Miss Nagai, on the other hand, looked ready to gag at the sickly display of childhood romance. She thought it best to change the subject to more business related matters - for fear of losing her lunch at the sight of Kokoda dazedly and dreamily staring out the door which Akane had just passed through.

"So, Mr. Hatanaka," Miss Nagai began, snapping her briefcase shut.

Kokoda quickly snapped out of his infatuated stupor, although a bit of pink remained in his cheeks, and spun around to address her. "Yes, Miss Nagai, ma'am?"

"I must say, I'm quite impressed that you actually chose a museum to be the center of our class trip; it's so very unlike your brother, Mr. Minamino's class trip."

"Oh, when they went to the Kurama-onsen?" Kokoda recalled.

"_Yes_, although I suppose that had more to do with that insufferable woman Yamagashi…" Miss Nagai recalled, grinding her teeth bitterly at the memory. "Still, all went well and no harm was done - at least that's on record, anyway." She then began walking, Kokoda following her. As they exited the classroom into the hall, she said, "Thankfully, you have enough sense to choose an educational location for our field trip. What's more, from what I gather, there's a rather fine exhibit in the works at the Tokyo Museum. If it isn't ready by the time we go, perhaps I can still manage to allow our class to sneak a peek."

"Really, Miss Nagai? How could you manage that?" Kokoda asked.

"I have my ways," Miss Nagai answered evasively. "Still, at least one of my students did something relatively productive this year, and for that I am partially grateful."

Kokoda winced a little at Miss Nagai's cold sense of gratitude, but said, "Well, it wasn't really just me. Akane helped a lot, too."

Miss Nagai's face flinched, her eyes harboring a long-standing bitterness. "Ah, yes…_that_ one…let's just say I have a rather unpleasant history with _that _family, one in which I'd like to eradicate from my mind altogether…"

Frowning, Kokoda chose not to discuss the issue further. As he and Miss Nagai passed class 3-5, Kokoda caught sight of Mr. Atsumori Fukuda through the open doorway, looking pale and fidgeting nervously at his desk; he appeared to be mumbling to himself. Kokoda would have been more startled if the image hadn't been so familiar to him over the last few days. "Um…Miss Nagai…have you noticed that Mr. Fukuda has been acting kind of strange recently…?" Kokoda asked.

Miss Nagai stopped, eyeing Kokoda suspiciously. "Well, he is a _strange _man, in the perverted, disgusting sense," she muttered contemptuously. "What's your point?"

"I don't mean like that…I mean, he seems kind of sick." Kokoda then pointed to classroom 3-5 where Mr. Fukuda sat.

Miss Nagai's brow twitched disgustedly as she briefly glimpsed at the waxen, trembling, and incoherently babbling Mr. Fukuda. Her fierce glare then shot back toward Kokoda as she said, "It seems that you've forgotten my recent lesson about the merits of learning to fend for yourself, Mr. Hatanaka. Your help will be useless and your answers will be wrong and I refuse to provide either. Such is the way of the world."

Kokoda cringed, but again chose wisely not to argue with Miss Nagai as she briskly walked off, effectively dismissing his company. Kokoda then glanced back at Mr. Fukuda with a frown before choosing to continue on his way out Mieou Academy and home.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Kaito Investigations," Kaito answered the phone of Kaito Investigation. Listening to the caller speak, he quickly grabbed a pen and pad and began jotting information down. "Uh-huh…Hmm-hmm…uh-huh…Yamagashi Modeling Agency…okay, got it. Our initial consulting fee is 10,000 yen, whether or not there turns out to be a legitimate paranormal disturbance. We'll send one of our agents there right away, before the end of the hour." With that, he hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Shuichi frowned as he stood in the storage area of Kaito Investigations that Hiroshi had transformed into a wardrobe room. Shuichi now stood in front of a tall mirror, dressed in another one of Hiroshi's costumes that Hiroshi had especially tailored just for Shuichi (he had already tried on seven that day, as business was slow and Hiroshi had insisted). Hiroshi stood beside him, adjusting the collar, while Maya sat a few feet away, thoroughly enjoying watching Shuichi play dress up.

"There!" Hiroshi exclaimed when he was at last satisfied, stepping aside so Shuichi could fully appreciate his latest costume. Shuichi now had on a dark hot pink cropped leather jacket, the sleeves reaching his elbow and covered with a series of trendy zippers and buckles. Underneath he wore a sleeveless, glittering black shirt, followed by skintight black spandex pants. However, the majority of his pants could not be seen for he also wore a pair of pink knee high patent leather boots, also consisting of a series of shiny silver zippers and buckles. Finishing off the ostentatious costume was a pink and silver belt, black and silver leather gloves, and a matching shiny hot pink newsboy cap.

Shuichi furrowed his brows a bit. "Don't you think it's a little much, Hiroshi? I would look ridiculous walking around Tokyo dressed like this."

"Nonsense!" Hiroshi argued. "It's a costume; it's supposed to be flashy!"  
"But I'd rather not draw so much attention to myself," Shuichi explained. "I'd like to consider myself a very private person…"

"But you look so adorable, Shuichi!" Maya insisted with a giggle. "Like one of those Magical Girls you see in anime…except a boy. Are there such things as Magical Boys?"

As Maya proceeded to space-out while pondering this question she posed to herself, Kaito entered the room and said, "Shuichi, you've got your first mission."

"I do?" Shuichi asked, turning his attention from the mirror to Kaito.

Kaito nodded. "At the Yamagashi Modeling Agency. A girl called in about some odd, paranormal disturbance - she thinks the building is haunted."

"Hey, that's Ritsu's family's business," Hiroshi then said. "I wonder if she's playing a prank on us."

Kaito shrugged. "We still get paid either way. Anyway, Maya will stay here for backup or in case any other assignments arise; Hiro, you can go with Shuichi."

"Can do," Hiroshi said, quickly pulling out his camcorder with a grin.

"Well, I suppose I should change first…" Shuichi said, turning about, but Hiroshi took hold of his arm.

"But why change, Shu-chan, especially when you look so lovely now!" Hiroshi protested with a smirk.

"But it's rather impractical, don't you think?" Shuichi argued as politely as he could, although he felt a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead at the unnerving and mortifying thought of walking around in public in such a cute, conspicuous outfit.

"Hiro's right, Shuichi," Kaito said, smirking a bit himself. "Besides, I did say you would be there at the end of the hour and Kaito Investigations does pride itself on its punctuality. There isn't any time to waste."

Shuichi sneered a bit as Kaito grinned back smugly, but then let out a sigh and relinquished. With no more protest, save the irritated expression on his face, he and Hiroshi headed to the Yamagashi Modeling Agency Headquarters.

* * *

Shuichi and Hiroshi arrived at Yamagashi Modeling Agency within the hour. Shuichi, having been scowling miserably only a short while ago as he paraded around Tokyo in his bright pink costume, felt slightly more comfortable as he entered the modeling agency as those around him now were wearing equally ridiculous and flashy getups. Hiroshi, on the other hand, moved his camcorder's focus from Shuichi to the center of the fancy lobby of Yamagashi Modeling Agency.

Grinning, Hiroshi commented, "Ah, it's like heaven, isn't it?"

Shuichi winced. "It's all right, I suppose…"

"One day I hope to work as a designer, having my clothes modeled by an agency as fabulous as this," Hiroshi continued to muse. "Imagine, designing for the rich and beautiful - what more can one ask for in life?"

"I can think of quite a few things, actually," Shuichi remarked, folding his arms.

"Yeah, if you want to be broody and morbid about everything with your whole demon past-life nonsense," Hiroshi replied flippantly. "But surely my answer if much more appealing."

"Actually, I was _going_ to say something along the lines of having family and friends," Shuichi corrected with some annoyance.

"Now, Shu-chan, that's just clichéd," Hiroshi answered with a wry smirk and Shuichi let out sigh.

"I suppose the shallow will always remain shallow," Shuichi concluded.

"And for that we can all be grateful," Hiroshi added with a nod of approval.

"Anyway…now I believe it would be best to locate that girl who called about the disturbance…" Shuichi said, trailing off and looking around the crowded lobby in vain. Finding this girl would be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially since Yamagashi Modeling Agency comprised of a thirteen story building, all of which probably just as crowded as the first. "Perhaps next time we should remind Kaito to ask for more details on the person who called…"

"Hiro, darling!" a voice suddenly called out and Hiroshi and Shuichi turned to see a tall, beautiful, well-endowed woman in her forties. She was dressed in flashy, revealing clothes, ridiculously high stiletto heels, and gaudy, expensive jewelry. She grinned as she approached and immediately gave Hiroshi a hug when she reached him. "It's so fabulous to see you! I was just on my way to lunch - I would have never expected running into you!" She released him while Shuichi looked on in puzzlement and Hiroshi gave a polite smile. "Now, tell me, are you here to see my Ritsuki? She has been doing her dress fittings for her wedding all day up on the thirteenth floor! She looks simply divine, though - and I'm not saying that just because she's my daughter, I have you know."

Shuichi sighed; it all made sense now - of course this flashy, talkative, and provocatively dressed woman was the mother of the flagrant and brazen Ritsuki Yamagashi. Meanwhile, Hiroshi answered, "Actually, Mrs. Yamagashi, we're here for - "

No sooner had Hiroshi said "we" and gestured toward Shuichi did Mrs. Yamagashi let out a squeal of delight and turn to Shuichi. "Oh, you must be my daughter's Tasa-chan that she's always going on about! Well, you're simply gorgeous - my Ritsuki has such exquisite taste, doesn't she, Hiro?"

"Yes, but - " Hiroshi began, but was quickly cut off by an eager Mrs. Yamagashi.

"Just look at you! I'm so glad to finally meet you! I was afraid that, the way my daughter describes you, that you'd be so ordinary - but you're just fabulous! One of the most breathtaking young men I've ever seen - those eyes, that remarkable hair - your features are so feminine, but so incredibly handsome! And that outfit is just so trendy and adorable - why, standing the way you are right now, you could be a model!" Mrs. Yamagashi then let out a gasp. "What a fabulous idea! Ritsuki just had her own magazine cover this month - how appropriate would it be that her fiancé has his own next month for the wedding? Oh, just think what news that would make! We were actually taking sample shots for this one hot new fashion magazine up on the eighth floor, but we could just go with you as you are right now! Oh, it would be _perfect!_ My Ritsuki would be so excited to hear! You just have to do it, Tasa-chan!"

_Well, she certainly is pushy like her daughter…_ Shuichi mused to himself before going to answer, "Actually, Mrs. Yamagashi, I'm not - "

"Don't be absurd! Tasa-chan would _love_ to model for you!" Hiroshi anxiously interjected. "He's just too modest at times! Now, you said he'd be wearing the clothes he's wearing right now for the shoot…?"

"Well, he just looks so darling now, don't you think?" Mrs. Yamagashi gushed.

"I agree _completely,_" Hiroshi said emphatically. "Now, I think that this should be a surprise for Ritsu - sort of like a wedding gift - how about we don't tell her until after the magazine comes out? Let her see the finished product!"

"_Hiroshi_," Shuichi whispered brutally, causing Hiroshi to cringe.

"Um, excuse us one moment," Hiroshi told Mrs. Yamagashi sheepishly while Shuichi pulled him to the side.

"What do you think you are doing?" Shuichi questioned. "We have a job to do."

"So?" Hiroshi brushed him off. "I can go find out about the demon or ghost or what have you and you can go entertain Ritsu's mother and get your picture taken for the magazine."

"I don't think that's the wisest decision. Do you know how angry Tasaka will be to see my picture on the cover of some magazine with the headline 'Ritsuki Yamagashi's fiancé' just days before their wedding?" Shuichi persisted.

"Tasa-chan's always angry. It's nothing new," Hiroshi remarked dismissively. "Besides, Shu-chan, don't you see what a big opportunity this is for both of us? I'll be getting my clothes on the cover of a fashion magazine and you'll be getting your big break as a model!"  
"I never wanted to be a model," Shuichi answered flatly.

"Jeez, Shu-chan, does it always have to be about _you?_" Hiroshi retorted, crossing his arms and cocking his head indignantly to the side.

"You're just being selfish," Shuichi answered. "What about Ritsuki? Think about how upset she'd be."

Hiroshi then began to snicker. "Ritsu…_upset?_" He then began to laugh hysterically at the notion.

"I suppose she would find the whole thing hilarious…" Shuichi admitted reluctantly.

Hiroshi then stopped laughing and hastily turned his pleading eyes toward Shuichi. "Please, Shu-chan!" he begged. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me! Besides, Tasa-chan doesn't read fashion magazines, and even if he does, Tasa-chan and Ritsu's relationship thrives on Tasa-chan being humiliated and Ritsu teasing him mercilessly for it."

Shuichi frowned now and pondered aloud, "Do you really think that their relationship is all that sadomasochistic…?"

It was then that an impatient Mrs. Yamagashi hastily approached and latched her arm around Shuichi's. "Enough with this talk!" she declared. "I _insist_ that you do this shoot for my daughter! I won't take no for an answer!"

"You heard the woman!" Hiroshi agreed with a few triumphant, mischievous snickers. "Now go and be fabulous, Tasa-chan!"

Shuichi frowned in dismay as Mrs. Yamagashi proceeded to drag him toward the elevator and Hiroshi, grinning from ear to ear, waved goodbye. _How do I get myself into these sorts of debacles?_

And, as the elevator closed, Hiroshi let out a sigh and shook his head. "Well, Mrs. Yamagashi is certainly going to be disappointed when she finds out who the real groom is." He then shrugged and walked over to the front desk. Approaching one of the receptionists and leaning against the desk, he asked, "Excuse me, miss - I'm looking for a girl who called my company about an hour ago. I'm not entirely sure where to find her, though. But I'd say she'd be acting sort of strange and panicky, probably - have you noticed anyone acting a little out of sorts recently?"

"Hmm…strange and panicky…" the receptionist wondered, tapping her finger against her chin. The receptionist's eyes lit up, "Oh, I know! That must be Risa Otani, up on the twelfth floor - it was all the gossip this morning in the break room. She claimed she saw a monster or something like that in the women's bathroom. I haven't talked to her much this week, but Daisuke, on the third floor in accounting, said he saw her at around ten o'clock and that she was white as a ghost and had the shakes. Pretty bizarre, don't you think?"

"I'd say."

"So what kind of company do you work for?" the receptionist asked. "I just saw you talking to Mrs. Yamagashi, so it must be some sort of talent agency or magazine, right?"

"Actually, I work for a company called Kaito Investigations," Hiroshi answered.

"You mean, you're like a detective?" the receptionist asked in puzzlement. "Did somebody do something wrong?"

And Hiroshi smirked coolly and replied elusively, "Let's just say, I'm here to catch a monster."

* * *

Shuichi had never felt such overwhelming pity for any one person as he did for Tasaka Kitajima in that moment: in less than two months time, this unbearably pushy, ostentatious, shallow, self-indulgent woman would be the proud mother-in-law to Tasaka. It was bad enough that Tasaka had to deal with the obnoxious and overbearing Ritsuki on a daily basis, but how on earth would he survive having to deal with her equally obnoxious and overbearing mother?

"Now just move a little to the right…" Mrs. Yamagashi instructed as Shuichi stood in the center of the photo shoot, surrounded by lights, cameras, and crew that surrounded him.

"Mrs. Yamagashi, I don't mean to be rude…but is this going to take long…?" Shuichi asked as the camera flashed, already growing weary by the bright lights and the constant fawning and attention of those that demanded perfection.

"You can't rush art, dear," Mrs. Yamagashi insisted. Then, eyeing Shuichi with a grin, she added lewdly, "And my, my, Tasa-chan…you certainly _are_ a work of art."

Shuichi frowned in dismay and could only sigh while concluding that Ritsuki was most definitely her mother's daughter. Futilely, Shuichi continued to explain, "It's just that I have some very important business to attend to…"

Mrs. Yamagashi let out a cackle even more shrill and menacing than that of her daughter. "Silly Tasa-chan - what could possibly be more important than a photo shoot?" Her laughter increased, striking a sharp nerve in Shuichi. "Now try not to look so stiff! Try to look more…_seductive!_ After all, this is the cover my darling Ritsuki is going to see right before yourwedding night!" Her cackling became more vulgar and lascivious and Shuichi felt himself begin to blush for Tasaka's sake.

As Mrs. Yamagashi's high-pitched and highly inappropriate laughter continued, Shuichi at last groaned, his face contorting into disgust. _Perhaps this really is all just an elaborate prank on Ritsuki's part_, Shuichi thought in defeat. _If it is, she certainly has succeeded in irritating me…_

"What is with that awful face, Tasa-chan?!" Mrs. Yamagashi questioned heatedly, putting her hands on her hips. Her venomous tone caused Shuichi to cringe. "Where is that passion, that fire that burns within the heart of every model?! You are to be as gentle as a flower and yet as invigorated as the sea, moving and churning with life and love! Do you get my meaning?"

Shuichi forced a smile now and answered sheepishly, "Not entirely, I'm afraid…"

"It _means_ not to look so miserable!" Mrs. Yamagashi snapped impatiently while the rest of the crew flinched and whimpered nervously at their increasingly frustrated boss.

Shuichi strained to chuckle, but hoped he had found his opening to escape the debacle Hiroshi had forced upon him. With a polite smile, he suggested, "Perhaps I'm simply not cut out for modeling, Mrs. Yamagashi…"

This suggestion, however, did not sit well with Mrs. Yamagashi, whose glare became irate and steely. "Of course you are cut out for modeling," she barked harshly. "I, being an _expert_ in these sorts of matters, _know_ a model when I _see_ one, and you are most definitely a model, Tasaka Kitajima! After all, my daughter - the _stunning _creature that she is - would marry no less than a man as radiant and as beautiful as a model! Are you trying to say then that you are _unworthy _to be her husband?"

Shuichi winced, trying to restrain his panic as he realized the delicate situation he had become entangled in - and how easily it could escalate into the termination of Ritsuki and Tasaka's engagement at the hands of an incensed Mrs. Yamagashi. Still, it would be much worse when Mrs. Yamagashi found out that Shuichi was not in fact the groom and she met the real Tasaka, who was handsome, but decidedly much more plain and ordinary looking than the red-haired, emerald-eyed Shuichi; how on earth had Hiroshi persuaded Shuichi to go along with this ludicrous charade of posing as Tasaka? Laughing nervously, Shuichi began, "Um…about that, Mrs. Yamagashi…"

As Shuichi began to confess, Mrs. Yamagashi interrupted, eyes narrowing with murderous intent. "Now _model_," she ordered fiercely.

Shuichi winced again, but complied reluctantly, "Yes, Mrs. Yamagashi…"

Mrs. Yamagashi now gleamed enthusiastically, clasped her hands together, and squealed, "_Wonderful!_"

This sudden and eradicate swing of mood left Shuichi feeling more disconcerted and even more pity for the unknowing Tasaka who would soon call this selfish, insufferable woman his _family. _Shuichi frowned and tried his best to stay optimistic as he thought, _Well, Tasaka has managed to handle someone as flamboyant as Ritsuki for this long…_ He grimaced, reluctantly admitting to himself that this last thought was not entirely accurate. As the cameras continued flashing, Shuichi let out another defeatist's sigh and hoped that Hiroshi was at least using his time wisely to investigate.

* * *

Fortunately for Shuichi, Hiroshi was doing just that and had already made his way up to the twelfth floor. He already had switched his camcorder on, ready to record any sort of suspicious movement or supernatural phenomena. However, as he walked down the seemingly ordinary and innocuous corridors, he frowned in disappointment and lowered his camcorder. Already feeling bored and impatient by the stillness around him, he furrowed his brows and muttered dejectedly, "I never thought a modeling agency could be this uninteresting…" He sighed and bowed his head, reflecting further, "Well, I suppose even the glamorous need to have dull things like offices and paperwork…like balancing out the fabulous with the mundane. At the very least, it would explain why someone as gorgeous as Shu-chan has such a boring personality at times…"

Hiroshi's ears then perked up at a sudden rustling sound. He turned his head to the left as his eyes fell directly to a custodial closet. He listened closely and the sound continued, a clattering noise accompanied by heavy breathing. "In there…?" he wondered aloud and raised his camera before cautiously approaching the closet. He hesitated when placing his hand on the doorknob, a bead of sweat dripping down the back of his neck, until finally he swallowed hard and swung open the door.

Much to his chagrin, instead of a monster, Hiroshi had stumbled upon a young woman crouched in the closet, shaking and whimpering in panic. She looked deathly pale and had her eyes closed tightly while she gripped onto her head tightly. Blinking a few times, Hiroshi at last asked, "Um…Miss…you don't happen to be Risa Otani, do you?"

The young woman looked up, blushing slightly, but her eyes still wide and fearful and her limbs still trembling. "Yes…I mean…who are…?"

Hiroshi grinned now, his gaze flashing cunningly. "I'm Hiroshi Sunada," he introduced himself smoothly. "I work for Kaito Investigations; I believe you called."

The woman - Risa Otani - immediately jumped up and clamped onto Hiroshi's shirt, exclaiming frantically, "You have to help me! I'll pay you anything you want! There was this monster - "

"In the women's bathroom, am I right?" Hiroshi finished for her, still remaining unruffled, despite the frenzy in the young woman's countenance.

Risa frowned now, released Hiroshi's shirt, and lowered her head in some embarrassment. "Everyone thinks I'm crazy now, but I know I saw that monster…"

"Well, what did it look like?"

"Um…well…it was all so terrifying that it was kind of a blur…I was in the bathroom. I turned off the lights and was about to leave and then suddenly there was this…this creature towering over me…it was this big and black…I didn't give it much of a look before I let out a scream and ran. But when I got some of my coworkers to go look for me, there was nothing in the bathroom anymore."

"Hmm…was there anything else unusual that you noticed?" Hiroshi inquired next.

"Um…there was this writing I noticed on one of the bathroom stall doors before I saw the monster…well, not writing exactly…they were these strange sort of symbols I didn't recognize; I thought someone had just doodled something during their lunch break…but when I went with the others to check the bathroom, that strange writing was gone."

"So we have mysterious, vanishing writing…" Hiroshi mulled over, although having little experience in actual demon or monster hunting, could surmise very little from the information he had been provided.

"Well?" Risa interrogated anxiously now, raising impassioned fists. "What does it mean?"

Hiroshi paused for a moment, before smiling with a shrug. "Well, I'm sure it means something."

"What kind of answer is that?!" Risa questioned with frantic anger. "I thought you were supposed to be some sort of a professional!"

"Who can be bothered with such frivolities as professionalism?" Hiroshi rebutted nonchalantly. "A monster is a monster, right? The details are insignificant….well, unless of course you're talking about a designer dress or new shoes or something like that. Then details are _everything._"

"You're not taking this seriously at all!" Risa cried out in exasperation when suddenly a sound of screams came from one of the offices at the end of the corridor. Risa gasped and took a few staggering steps back. "It's the monster!" Soon after, office workers began barreling out of the room and into the hall, falling on top of each other before fleeing down the hall in panic.

Hiroshi, meanwhile, took this opportunity to film, particularly focusing on the behinds of those running for their lives. "Ritsu's sure to love some of these shots…" he mused with a snicker as the frightened office workers passed by him.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing something?" Risa now begged desperately. "_Please?_"

Hiroshi then turned to her with a casual grin. "Relax, Risa-chan. These things always have a way of working themselves out; otherwise, we'd have monsters running amok all the time."

He gave her a wink and a light chuckle before a loud crash came from the abandoned office, breaking down the corridor wall, shaking the entire floor, and causing the electricity in the building to quickly die. More screams sounded from the already frenzied people crowding the dark and quivering hall. From the ashes and debris of the demolished wall emerged a frightening silhouette with glowing red eyes and strange crimson symbols on its flesh, emblazed like lightning in the darkness.

As Hiroshi's camcorder focused on the mysterious, glowing writing and ferocious eyes of the shadowy beast, Hiroshi frowned slight and remarked, "Although perhaps now would be a good time to call one of my associates for backup…"

* * *

"Where are the lights? How are we to shoot without any lights?" Mrs. Yamagashi questioned shrilly while the crew immediately tried to see what had caused the sudden lost of electricity.

"Maybe it's an earthquake…I felt a tremor just now…" one crew member suggested.

"If it's an earthquake, then do something about it!" Mrs. Yamagashi ordered. "Things shouldn't become all topsy-turvy just because of something as trite and simple as an _earthquake!_"

As Mrs. Yamagashi's temper worsened, Shuichi's cell phone rang. He picked it up quickly when he saw the caller and asked, "Hiroshi?"

"Shu-chan! How's the photo shoot going?"

"Well…" Shuichi trailed off as he glanced over at Mrs. Yamagashi yelling at her crew. "…perhaps this isn't the best time to talk about that, Hiroshi…what's happening?"

"Let's just say that if Ritsu is playing a prank on us, she's really outdone herself this time," Hiroshi commented. Shuichi then heard a loud crash in the background, followed by screams and shouting. "On second thought, I can pretty much say with certainty that this is most definitely not a prank. Maybe you should come to the twelfth floor, instead of dawdling around at some photo shoot. After all, you really shouldn't be so vain and selfish when a demon's on the loose, Shu-chan. It's very unprofessional of you."

"Need I remind you that this was your idea in the first place?"

Hiroshi laughed. "Well, I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to listen to me," he said teasingly and Shuichi just sighed.

"I'm on my way…"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Yamagashi began apologetically, "I'm really very sorry, Tasa-chan about this rude delay! I assure you that in a few minutes it will all…be…" She faded off as she turned around to face Shuichi and fluttered her eyes, surprised that Shuichi had disappeared from the room.

* * *

"This is so depressing, Tasa-chan! Everyone's gone downstairs to see what happened to the electricity, leaving me all alone. And how am I supposed to try on wedding dresses in the dark?" Ritsuki sulked over her cell phone as she stood in the doorway of one of the large and elaborate dressing rooms at the Yamagashi Modeling Agency. "And I was just about to try on this really flirty one, too…"

"Wedding dresses aren't supposed to be flirty, Yamagashi," Tasaka scolded on the other end. "And I already told you, I don't care what the hell you wear."

"Of course they're supposed to be flirty!"

"Yeah, but your definition of flirty is more like filthy and perverted."

"Now, now, Tasa-chan - is that any way to talk to your future bride?" she teased with a smirk. "I hope you don't say those sorts of things after we're married, unless of course it's in bed and you say it in a really naughty voice!"

There were a few embarrassed grumbles on the other end until at last Tasaka muttered sheepishly, "Wear whatever you want…"

"Oh, I wish I could see your handsome face right now, Tasa-chan - I bet it's bright red!" Ritsuki exclaimed with glee and Tasaka groaned in self-pity. "Which reminds me! I finally decided on the most fitting color for your tuxedo and it's the boldest shade of scarlet that you've ever seen!"

"_What?!"_ Tasaka shouted over the phone in horror while Ritsuki broke into a fit on uncontrollable giggles. However, her giggles were short-lived as she heard a crashing sound come from the stairwell. Warily, she stepped out into the hallway glanced over to her right to see a shadowy monster with long arms and claws and glowing red eyes emerging from the staircase, glaring venomously back at her with a snarl.

* * *

When Shuichi arrived onto the twelfth floor, most of the crowd had already left, save for Hiroshi and Risa as well as a few stragglers cowering and shaking on the floor. The corridors and walls were in disarray as well with both debris and the remnants of paperwork, the signs of the recent chaos that had swooped through, but the monster itself had vanished. Spotting Hiroshi, he quickly ran up to him and asked severely, "Where did it go?"

"Up the stairs," Hiroshi explained, holding up his camcorder. "I can play it back for you, if you want…"

While Hiroshi rewound his film, Risa stared up at Shuichi (particularly at his pink attire) with doubt and asked, "Um…are you supposed to fight that monster…?'

Shuichi chuckled politely with a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead as he noticed the skepticism in the young woman's expression and her attention to his ostentatious wardrobe. Meanwhile, Hiroshi exclaimed, "Here we are!"

Shuichi's attention hastily turned to the miniature screen on Hiroshi's camcorder. As he watched the footage, his eyes widened and he ordered, "Stop it there."

Hiroshi paused it. "What is it?"

"There," Shuichi answered, pointing to the strange symbols on the monster's chest. "It's on old demon language. It says 'The Shadow Demon.'"

"That's the same writing that was on the wall in the bathroom," Risa chimed in.

"The writing looks like it must have belonged to an old seal. Someone must have disturbed it somehow, causing this temporary release…seeing as it's a Shadow Demon, I'm guessing it was some sort of bright light, like a flash of a camera. Fortunately, the seal seems to still be present on the demon, meaning that we only have to fix a cracked seal, rather than reseal the beast altogether. " Shuichi grew more pensive, repeating, "'The Shadow Demon…' why does that writing seem familiar to me…?" Then, returning to the matter at hand, he asked, "Does your camcorder come with a light, Hiroshi?"

"Yes, but the battery dies pretty quickly when I put it on," Hiroshi answered. "Do you want me to put it on now?"

"Not yet," Shuichi replied. "Just follow me."

* * *

"Yamagashi? Yamagashi, are you there?" Tasaka asked over the phone.

"I…um…think I might have to call you back, Tasa-chan…" Ritsuki answered in a stunned and frightened shock, trembling as she took a few wary steps back as the monstrous creature approached her, slowly at first. Then, it broke into a rapid charge, racing through the dark hall toward her as Ritsuki dropped the phone, closed her eyes, and let out a scream.

However, just as the monster was about to collide with her, she was swept up by someone else, who quickly darted out of the beast's dangerous path. Ritsuki's eyes fluttered open and she looked up to see Shuichi holding her, his expression grave as he glared at the violent monster whose fists crashed into the floor where Ritsuki had been sitting only a moment beforehand, her cell phone skidding across the floor. "Shu…chan? What are you doing here?" she asked in bafflement before smiling. "And, hey, this is sort of like the time you saved me during our school play! You really are like my knight-in-shining armor sometimes – although, come to think of it, even now you still sort of look like a pretty princess…"

Shuichi's severe expression faltered as he noticed Ritsuki glancing at his pink attire with a giggle and he muttered miserably, "Thanks…I suppose…" Then, he became more alert as the red-eyed monster charged again for them and he quickly jumped out of the way, still carrying Ritsuki, as the monster crashed into the wall, the wall crumbling as it fell in to the room Ritsuki had been modeling in.

"Oh, no! The dresses!" Ritsuki cried out.

"I think we have more pressing matters to worry about…" Shuichi said, watching the monster as it grumbled and began to push the rubble off itself.

"Now, Shu-chan – what could be more pressing than wedding dresses?" Ritsuki jested with a giggle and Shuichi sighed.

"Yamagashi! Yamagashi!" Tasaka's frantic voice meanwhile called over the phone, which had landed in front of Hiroshi's feet.

Smirking and picking it up, Hiroshi said playfully, "Tasa-chan! How are you?'

"Hiroshi?" Tasaka questioned in befuddlement. "But what are you doing on Yamagashi's phone? Is she okay? I heard a scream and – "

"Don't worry, Tasa-chan – Shu-chan and I are on the job!"

"_Minamino _is there?!" Tasaka snarled irately. "I should have known! Wherever there's trouble, _he's_ bound to show up! If anything bad happens to Yamagashi, I swear that Minamino will pay for it!" Tasaka then let out a panicked gasp and added hastily, "Don't tell Yamagashi I said that, though!"

Hiroshi just snickered and called out to Ritsuki and Shuichi, "Tasa-chan that he's prepared to fight you to the death, Shu-chan, for Ritsu's love!"

"What?" Shuichi asked in puzzlement, blushing slightly as he still held Rituski in his arms.

"Oh, my Tasa-chan's such a sweetheart – willing to fight for the death for me!" Ritsuki jested with a laugh.

"I didn't say anything like that at all!" Tasaka barked at Hiroshi over the phone and Hiroshi winced at the sound of his wrathful voice. "Tell her I didn't say that, Hiroshi!"

"I'm sorry, Tasa-chan, but I can't hear you – I'll be sure to call you back!" Hiroshi fibbed with a widening smirk.

"Hiroshi – " Tasaka tried to protest, but Hiroshi had swiftly hung up on him.

"I'm pretty sure Tasa-chan's not going to be too happy with me next time we see each other…" Hiroshi lamented only half-seriously, although he did frown slightly.

Meanwhile, the monster gave a loud, ferocious howl as it stood and turned back around, its red eyes flashing and the strange red writing burning brightly on its otherwise dark chest. "What's that strange writing…?" Ritsuki asked.

"It says Shadow Demon…" Shuichi answered, releasing Ritsuki and stepping in front of her and pulling his rose whip from his hair. "Stay back, Ritsuki." Shuichi then went forward, giving a few swings of his Rose Whip at the beast, darting to the monster's right. The monster let out an angry shriek and then tried to pounce at him, his claws crashing into the ground as Shuichi jumped out of the way, luring the monster toward him and away from Hiroshi and Ritsuki. However, Shuichi was soon reaching a dead-end and the monster was marching toward him. Shuichi's expression remained a fierce glower as he ordered, "Hiroshi! The light!"

"Right!" Hiroshi exclaimed, taking a few steps forward, lifting his video camera to capture the back of the monster, and turning on the light of his camcorder – the only source of light in the hallway other than the demon's glowing red eyes and the glowing red writing on its chest.

The monster let out a painful growl, it's black body beginning to sizzle and evaporate into smoke. It spun around, putting up both of its arms to block itself from the light as his glowing red eyes and red writing began to fade in the light. However, the light's effects only lasted a few moments before the demon became furious and violent again, glaring down at Hiroshi with murderous contempt.

"Um…Shu-chan…" Hiroshi began warily, noticing that the monster was coming for him with malevolent intent.

"The light of the camera isn't strong enough," Shuichi reasoned and then glanced over at Ritsuki. "Ritsuki – is this the top floor?"

"Yes…" Ritsuki answered cautiously.

Shuichi only gave her a nod and again ran forward, quickly spotting one of the large pieces of rubble that had fallen from the wall when the demon had crashed into it. He unfurled his whip again and it latched around the large piece of wall; then, with all his strength, he swung and yank it upward, causing the piece of wall to go careening into the ceiling above the monster. A huge chunk of the ceiling fell down onto the monster as the monster was only yards away from Hiroshi. Both Hiroshi and Ritsuki ducked their heads and shielded themselves with their arms from the falling debris as the demon snarled, smacking away the large pieces of rubble with a violent swing of its arms. However, as it lifted itself from the ground, the daylight from the ceiling above poured down on the Shadow Demon. The demon let out a shrill cry of pain as the sunlight ate away at its flesh, the red eyes and red writing flickering until they disappeared into the black mass of its body, which became incorporeal and shadowy, until at last the demon faded away entirely as if in a puff of smoke.

"It's gone," Hiroshi noted, still feeling somewhat stunned by the events that had taken place while the lights in the building flashed on again.

"A shadow demon's weakness is the light," Shuichi explained. "The natural light from outside was enough to reseal it and return it to wherever it had come from."

"Yay! Shu-chan saved the day!" Ritsuki cheered, clapping her hands together.

"I suppose so…but I wonder what a demon like that was doing around here," Shuichi pondered, rubbing his chin pensively. "I haven't seen one since my days in the demon world…"

"Maybe it was just a strange coincidence?" Ritsuki offered. She then frowned and furrowed her brows, placing her hands on her hips. "Although, I wonder who's going to clean up this mess…"

Shuichi laughed uneasily as he noticed Ritsuki was specifically eyeing him now. "Actually, Hiroshi and I really should be going…"

"Don't say that, Shu-chan! You still have to finish your photo shoot!" Hiroshi exclaimed.

"Photo shoot…?" Ritsuki asked.

Hiroshi snickered. "I can't tell you just yet, Ritsu – it's a surprise!"

"I'm not sure if I like you keeping secrets from me, Hiro," Ritsuki noted, folding her arms as Hiroshi continued to snicker. "I usually like being on the _other_ end of practical jokes."

"Unfortunately, I think the joke's more on me than anyone else," Shuichi remarked with a sigh. "And don't worry, Hiroshi…she took a few shots she could use, at least."

"Well, you are so naturally beautiful that I'm sure she got a few great photos right off the bat," Hiroshi decided optimistically.

"If only she thought the same way," Shuichi muttered with some disdain as he recalled Ritsuki's mother. "Anyway, let's get going, Hiroshi."

"Right away, Shu-chan," Hiroshi said, following after Shuichi. "You should see some of this footage I got – your backside really looks wonderful in pink, Shu-chan!"

"You better send me a copy of that video so I can see!" Ritsuki joked with a lascivious grin.

"Now, now – you're nearly a married woman, Ritsu, love!" Hiroshi replied playfully.

"So I can still look, now can't I?" Ritsuki jested lightly. "Although, I was thinking that you really need to set up some hidden cameras for me in my honeymoon suite – now _that_ will certainly be some raunchy footage!"

As both Hiroshi and Ritsuki burst into lewd and lecherous giggles at this prospect, Shuichi let out a sigh of pity for Tasaka and concluded, "Some people really do never change…"

* * *

"I can't pay for all this!" Risa exclaimed with an outraged scowl, looking at the bill Hiroshi had given her and both Shuichi and Hiroshi frowned in dismay. The three stood outside the Yamagashi Modeling Agency. "I'm an underpaid office worker – how can I afford something like this?!"

"Um…well…" Shuichi began, glancing over at Hiroshi who only gave him a useless shrug.

"And another thing – who's going to pay for all the damage you two caused?!" Risa argued. "You know how angry Mrs. Yamagashi is because of that?"

"She can be pretty intimidating," Shuichi agreed with a sympathetic frown.

"But she doesn't even know it was us and the electricity was out at the time, so all the security cameras were out, too," Hiroshi argued. "Doesn't she think it was an earthquake that caused all this?"

"Except there's still all those people who saw the demon," Shuichi reminded him.

"Maybe they'll think they were all just under some sort of delusion brought on by mass hysteria," Hiroshi retorted.

"But how is any of this _my _responsibility? If anything, the Yamagashi Modeling Agency should be paying," Risa said stubbornly. "That's right! You got rid of the monster haunting _their_ building, not mine! I'll send Kaito Investigations the initial 10,000 yen I promised to pay, but you can ask the Yamagashi Modeling Agency to pay the rest!"

Shuichi and Hiroshi cringed as she stomped off back into the building. "Well, I _suppose _we could maybe ask Ritsu if her family wants to foot the rest of the bill…" Hiroshi reasoned. "Or maybe we should have our customers pay us in advance first. She had been so eager to pay, too, before we defeated the demon…"

"But we really can't expect people to pay us for getting rid of demons when we'd probably get rid of them regardless," Shuichi argued. "We should be glad she's going to at least send us the original 10,000 yen."

"But Yuu-chan going to probably not be too happy if he found out we didn't get paid the rest," Hiroshi pointed out.

Shuichi sighed, thinking about Kaito's unpleasant reaction when he discovered they had ended up offering their services free of charge. "I suppose we can just say we told Ritsuki we'd send her the bill…" he conceded reluctantly.

"I'll just tell her I'll give her a copy of some of the footage I have of you if she pays it for us – I'm sure she'll be more than happy to oblige!"

As Hiroshi grinned deviously at this prospect, Shuichi let out a second sigh. "I really don't understand how these sorts of misfortunes follow me."

"Look on the bright side, Shu-chan," Hiroshi began, jovially swinging his arm Shuichi's shoulders. "We both might have just got our big breaks into stardom – you as a model and me as a fashion designer! Isn't that exciting?"

Shuichi gave a frown, not finding it exciting in the slightest. He pondered over the events of the day and how he fared in his first case for Kaito Investigations. While at the moment they had failed to get paid in full and they had caused a great deal of structural damage to the Yamagashi Modeling Agency building, they still successfully managed to send the shadow demon back from which it came before it had caused too much of chaos – at the very least, no one had been harmed or killed. Shuichi also had confirmed his suspicions that fame and stardom were definitely not for him, despite Hiroshi and Mrs. Yamagashi's insistence that he would be a perfect model. He would much rather the excitement of fighting demons and monsters than the supposed excitement that came with being a model – although, in truth, he greatly desired neither. The experience also had given him some insight into Takasa's future – particularly his future relationship with his soon-to-be in-laws – and he determined that, despite all he had seen in his long life, he had never felt so much empathy for a person as he did now. He then frowned further when he realized that he would have to see Mrs. Yamagashi at Ritsuki and Tasaka's wedding in only a few short weeks, in which she would learn that he was in fact _not _her new son-in-law. This fact alone made him think that perhaps he should feel sorry for himself most of all.

Shuichi let out a sigh of concession as he glanced down at his ostentatious pink attire and then at a slyly grinning Hiroshi still hanging on him, who had somehow become his colleague despite having no experience or training in hunting demons whatsoever. Worst still was that the two would soon be heading back to Kaito, who somehow managed to wrangled his way into becoming Shuichi's _boss _of all things. Maybe Shuichi had brought his recent misfortunes upon himself by allowing himself to become involved in all of this absurdity in the first place instead of continuing on his path to lead an ordinary human life.

Yet, despite knowing all this, Shuichi knew very little would change and he frowned in disappointment. Perhaps he had become too accepting of the strange eccentricities and irritating demands of his friends, but he now found himself obligated to continue his work and more focused on the fact that he had become an employee for Kaito rather than the real dilemma he had been choosing to avoid – that he had used his demon powers when he had been trying his best to live as regular college student Shuichi Minamino rather than the infamous demon Yoko Kurama. And while his other worries still nagged at the back of his mind, he found that this was becoming the most prominent. How could he continue to live his life as ordinary Shuichi Minamino if his old demon life as Yoko Kurama began to play such a large role in it?


End file.
